Futatsu no Tsuki
by JeichanHaka
Summary: Light's twin brother Yue returns from abroad in the middle of the Investigation. Bonds of family and love are both tested when Yue must decide between helping Light or L, and deal with the repercussions when his friend Tenichi reveals himself as B.
1. Prologue

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Prologue:**

_+whirlwinds of color blurring - sounds, sights - the ringing whistle of sirens - it all grew out from the darkness. He felt dizzy, hands gabbing at him, forcing some sort of plastic mask over his nose and mouth. The world blurred and something pricked his shoulder - then he couldn't feel anything, the sounds grew muffled and he closed his eyes. +_

Sunlight leaped into view as a slim teen with yellow streaked black hair jostled awake, the warmly hued, soft blanket falling off his bare chest. The pale non-muscular body shined under the natural light from beyond the windows, his skin slicked with sweat. Thin fingers grabbed at the soft fabric covering his legs as reddish brown eyes glanced at the other side of the mattress. Empty. Relief tinged with bitterness left with the sigh on his lips, and he leaned back against the headboard.

"You seem a little on edge, could it be you had a nightmare?"

He tensed and blinked as he sucked in another breath. The pink plush of his lips quivered, the voice's owner approached but paused just before the bed.

"Could this nightmare be connected to those scars on your wrist?"

Sharp brown eyes stared into stone black ones, the teen's bristle bringing an amused glint to the coal orbs.

"After you awoke, you rubbed the scars unconsciously, a simple connection."

"What are you, a detective?"

That received a slight curve of the lips from the older male, who stood dressed at the side of the bed.

"I'm just observant is all. It is about time I got going. Last night was . . . enjoyable, but it'll remain one night."

"Yes." The teen turned his back to the other, reaching for his discarded clothing on the floor. "That means no names, no expectations. Aw well, I need to get to class anyway." He mumbled something else, but the older male had already left.

0

2 Years Later:

"Taeku-san, how have you been? Did you think of me this pass week?" The teen spoke into his cellphone, lips curved into a smile. His yellow streaked hair now dyed a solid black, his eyes closed in his smile. "Just 3 more months until your parole . . . Eh?"

- "Yue, I won't . . . I . . . Argh, ah . . ." -

"Tae? What's wrong? What . . . . " Yue pressed the phone against his ear, pushing past the people scattered around his college campus. His heart raced as he struggled to make out the words his friend Tae said. "Tae? Tae!" He ignored those around him and hurried toward the campus entrance - he could take a bus and then a transfer close to the prison.

- "Ki . . . Ki . . . " -

"What? Tae?" Yue felt his knees weaken as he listened to his friend's halted words. _'It can't be . . .'_

- "Ki . . . Kira . . . -

_'No' _"Tae! Hang in there, it can't . . . Are the guards around? Are they . . ."

- "Yue . . . gomen . . . " -

Yue fell to his knees, striking the pavement hard at the same time he heard a heavy thud on the phone. His vision swirled as he listened to the background voices at the prison, then the sharp clack of the phone being hung up.

The world suddenly stopped existing.

0

Light placed down his pen as he read over the last name he'd written - Taeku Takashima, a convict whose next parole might have very well granted him freedom. The victim's family members of his previous crimes had adamantly protested against it, declaring that a druggie-murderer couldn't reform. Proven by him murdering again 4 years ago, 10 years after his previous release from prison.

"Because iffy evidence arose hinting at his innocence he was only charged with manslaughter, second degree. Sentenced to a minimum of 5 to 10 years in prison." Light smirked and shut the death note, placing it in his hiding place as he left it disappear from his thoughts.

"Ni-chan!" Sayu's voice called from the door along with her knock. "I need help with my homework!"


	2. Photograph

A/N: I decided to change the current rating of this fanfic to T rating since few have visited it so far and what I currently have written doesn't require much more rating than that. (only 4 hits to this fic so far…)

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 1**

1 week later:

Deep brown eyes tinged a rich red gazed at the full moon through the hotel window. The night sky seemed a black shroud dotted with colorless jewels, and the sounds below a soft coo. Tentative fingers touched the glass overlooking the city, the busy lights and growling vehicles below seemed like insects. Small and far away. It almost matched the lonely regret hidden in a sliver of his heart. He pressed his ear against the glass, but the night birds did not chirp and the wind remained still.

"Taeku-san." He slipped to his knees, clenching a newspaper in his fingers, opened to the obituary page. Tears fell from his caramel rich eyes, trailing over his smooth cheeks to his shirt collar. "I have nothing left."

Behind him the hotel room door opened and rushed footsteps approached; the light switched on broke through the heavy darkness. He shivered and pulled the black long-sleeve top tighter around him, his raven dress pants marred with red. His wrist bled, the cuts already clotting.

"Yu…Yue! What have…." His friend's voice merged with another from five years ago, his recollection blurred as he closed his eyes. He simply wanted to dissipate into the nothingness behind his eyelids, his body numb to his friend's arms shaking him. Only when his friend tugged at the newspaper in his hand did he open his eyes.

"Let go." He pulled the paper from the other's grip and held it close to his chest.

"Yue, are you still hung up on that guy? He deserved what he got…he was a criminal."

"He changed. After he got out of prison he was going to make amends…."

"People don't change, Yue, and criminals are garbage….Kira is right to kill them off." The friend paused as he saw Yue wince, the slender fingers clenched around the paper until the knuckles turned white.

"People do change…no one's born evil…." Yue returned to gazing out the window, placing the newspaper under his shirt as he closed his eyes. The window glass cool against his cheek, it's surface reflecting his face now that the light filled the room. He brought his left index finder to the smooth surface, tracing the kanji for moon (tsuki) on the glass. His eyes fluttered open and he gazed up at the silver orb amid the specks of stars. "Sometimes I wonder how they're doing . . . It's been so long since I've seen my family. Five years . . . ."

"Yue . . . "

"My brother and I use the same kanji for our names . . . The kanji for moon - but the pronunciation of his name is Light. Mine's Yue."

"Yue . . . You can't stay in hotel rooms forever, you don't have a job and what about school? You can't waste an academic year just because of Takashima . . . "

"I've put in for a transfer to a Japanese University. I just need to find an apartment." Yue stood up, the cuts on his arm fully clotted and caked with drying blood. He shook his head to his friend's outstretched arms and instead made it to the hotel bed alone. His steps slow and tired.

0

A few nights later in Japan:

L nibbled on his fork, his shadowed black eyes watching every passing second on the surveillance cameras. He tilted his head as he glanced at one monitor that showed an unused room. Not empty, but not storage either - it looked like an old bedroom turned into a shrine.

He eyed an aged photograph framed on the desk as he placed his fork down. Already he had several theories why such a room would be kept and dusted once a week, but Souichiro Yagami hadn't answered any of his queries. Talk about the room seemed taboo, and Yagami-san seldom glanced at the monitor displaying it.

"That room has nothing to do with the Kira investigation - it's been unoccupied for 5 years now. No one but Sachiko goes in there." Was all Souichiro would tell him, though he allowed the camera to remain in that room.

L had to admit, it seemed pointless to monitor the uninhabited room - besides Sachiko none of the Yagami's entered the room and she only cleaned it when she was alone. One time he saw her sitting on the bed in the room, the photo held tightly in her arms - but Souichiro had been taking a break at the time so he couldn't watch his reaction.

_'Perhaps . . . a shrine to a deceased child? Or perhaps a missing one? Maybe I should have Watari look up police reports from 5 years ago . . . . though it has nothing to do with the Kira case._' L sipped some tea while he heard the door behind him click shut, Souichiro returning from a restroom break.

"You're watching that room again, Ryuzaki? There's nothing there that's connected to this case."

"I apologize if it upsets you, but I find it interesting how everyone except your wife ignores the room. Your son's Light's reaction is the most interesting . . . "

"Ryuzaki . . . " Souichiro began, his throat tight and voice harsh - something that made L pause.

"I do not mean an interesting way that increases suspicion. It's just that Light-kun gives that room a wide berth. Whenever he walks past it he keeps closer to the opposite wall. Otherwise he ignores it." L took another sip of tea, while studying Souichiro's reaction out of the corner of his eye. The man stared intently at the hallway on the monitor as Light passed by the room - his mouth slightly opening as he watched his eldest do as L had mentioned.

"Light . . . . " Souichiro's gaze grew distant before he leaned back in his chair. " . . . Yue . . . "

"Yagami-san, if it's a missing child case I could help find him . . . . I just need his name and age."

"That's unnecessary, he's not missing. He's staying overseas with relatives . . . He and Light never got along, and he, Yue, ran away when they were 13."

"Oh? Light's twin? Yue Yagami . . . ?" L rubbed his thumb over his lip, the teacup safely placed back on the table. '_Yue? What kanji is that written with? The kanji for moon?'_

"Yes, though they're not identical twins. Light's the older one . . . Yue…." Souichiro closed his eyes, hands braced on his knees. He inhaled deeply before he opened his eyes and focused on another monitor screen. "This has no relevance on the Kira investigation, so let's stop talking about it."

"Yagami-san, I think that now I'll feel terrible if Light does turn out to be Kira . . . You already have one child that's not around, if you have to lose another . . . "

"Yue isn't dead, and no evidence ties Light to being Kira, there's still hope."

"Yagami-san . . . . " L picked up his fork, poking at the solitary strawberry on his plate. He nodded at Souichiro's request to switch off the monitor to Yue's room, his words of regret not empty lines he simply used to ensnare the guilty. _'If Yue is simply staying with relatives, why the preference not to talk about it? It seems more like he's missing or….'_

He took a mental note to pass a request to Watari to research missing children cases from 5 years back.

0

"Hey, Light, why doesn't anyone go into that unused bedroom?" Ryuk asked as he phased through the wall, curiosity and boredom pulling him to explore the rest of the house while Light studied. The brown haired teen simply ignored the Shinigami and wrote out practice problems for the entrance exams into his school notebooks. "Hey Lig--Oh yeah, the cameras and bugs…you can't talk."

Ryuk sat against the wall beside Light's desk, bulging eyes roaming around the room's layout, mind craving entertainment while his taste buds craved apples. After a sigh he flew to the bed and lied down on it, his senses keen for signs of Light preparing to go outside. The wind began blowing hard against the window, the clouds outside gathering into a heavy gray above.

"Ah, man…seems it's going to rain." Light mumbled and stretched, his unsuspicious words aimed at the Shinigami - his signal saying tonight was an indoor night. "Too bad."

"Hey, Light, you're not going out? But there's so many things I want to ask….and I want apples…." Ryuk jumped from the bed, hovering over Light as the teen began changing into his nightclothes, the Shinigami almost tempted to throw something despite the cameras. Instead he settled for speaking even if Light wouldn't respond back. "Light, why is that bedroom there if no one uses it? I notice it gets cleaned every week, but I never see anyone entering it. It seems unusual and strange, though the photo on the desk in there is the most interesting…."

"…." Light paused as he lifted his nightshirt over his head, Ryuk's mention of the photo chilling him. He bit his lip while the shirt blocked his face from view, though his expression became once more impassive once that barrier between the cameras and him was gone. The sky outside grew darker, the chill wind growling against the window - he turned toward the window, passing off his glare at Ryuk as an observation of the weather outside. "It's really going to storm…aw well…it can't be helped."

"…the boy in the photo is interesting…he looks similar to you, but he isn't….yet he has the same written name….the same kanji…." Ryuk continued, his eyes taking in Light's unchanging demeanor as the teen flipped off the light switch and climbed into bed. "…I also noticed you always step toward the opposite side of the hall when you pass by that room…."

Eyelids closed over his brown eyes, Light lifted the blanket over his head and bit his lip again, the nauseous feeling in his abdomen growing. While hidden by the covers he glared toward the direction of the Shinigami's voice, his eyes gleaming as he swallowed back his anger.

'_Shut up, Ryuk…that room…there's no way I do such a thing as that….avoiding it….that guy's room is….'_ Light forced his body to relax, something easy as the Shinigami's words finally ceased; the teen drifting off to sleep after ten more minutes.


	3. Memories

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 2

_Pain. Fear. The vividness of his surroundings attacked him, his body doubled over as he glared up at the gray-blue of the sky; he could see the dim yellow just beyond the horizon littered with trees and half-built concrete walls. His abdomen burned, his schoolbag tossed to the side and all his notebooks and papers littered on the dirt. Voices blurred around him, he swallowed to wet his dry throat as his eyes picked up the figures above him._

_He trembled, the air blowing against his ice-cold skin. He felt afraid, unable to figure out why….why were those figures above him? Why? Footsteps broke through the web of voices, the sky growing into a red tint as he saw the figures turn and heard the crunch as a fist met with the nearest one's face. Moisture flooded into his eyes as he recognized his savior, and he watched as one by one the figures fell to the ground._

"_Aniki…"_

-

Heart racing, Light awoke to the morning sun's rays already peeking into his room; he felt his stomach knotting as he realized his panicked state. His skin pale and moist with sweat he struggle to rein in his harsh breathing, the knowledge of the hidden cameras recording everything pressing in on him.

'_Damn, why this when L is watching?' _He forced himself to stretch, legs swung over the side of the bed as he heard Ryuk chuckling across from him.

"Hey, Light, you were toss n' turning for a while….some sort of nightmare?"

'_Stupid Shinigami….'_

0

L tapped his bottom lip with his forefinger, black pupils wide and focused on his suspect. On the table beside him a cup of steaming tea and an unmarred slice of cake awaited his attention - however Light's agitated state kept his senses glued to the monitor.

"Interesting…." L mumbled, the monitor screen reflected in his eyes as the door behind him opened. He ignored it and absentmindedly bit on his thumbnail - on the screen he saw Light leave his bedroom and head toward the bathroom. The detective's lips parted as Light, while passing Yue's room, paused, the teen's eyebrows furrowed. For the first time since the video surveillance began L noticed hesitance on his suspect's face.

"Light…." Souichiro felt his heart pound as he read the same expression as L did on his son's face - only he was able to recall another occurrence 5 years back. The day Light had gone to visit his brother in the hospital. The brown haired teen had hesitated outside of the hospital room, his hand hovering the handle and twitching - Souichiro had been able to read his eldest son's face clearly that time. It'd shown only raw emotion - fear, pain, guilt, anger mixed together. Now his eldest wore a milder version outside Yue's room. "Light…."

"It is likely Light may have dreamed about his brother." L's voice cut through Souichiro's thoughts, morphing the chief's expression into confusion and shock.

"Ryuzaki…how…."

"Light awoke abruptly this morning after restless turning in his sleep, I conclude some sort of dream - probably about Yue since Light stopped outside his twin's room. Something contrary to his usual routine. However that is simply a guess since Light doesn't seem one affected by dreams." L turned to his tea and took a sip, lips frowning as the bitter taste touched his tongue. His captivation of Light's unusual actions postponed his normal addition of sugar in his tea, leaving the cooling cup bitter. "Studies suggest that twins, mostly identical ones, usually share a special sense or bond."

"Ryuzaki…what are you…?"

"I'm simply musing aloud since I find it a peculiar coincidence that the morning after you and I talked about Yue, Light seemed to have a dream about him. Not that is will matter much to the investigation - unless Kira is proven to be psychic."

0

Yue stared at the laptop screen filled with internet windows opened to various Kira websites, his tired eyes drinking in the words as he drunk from the coffee cup at his lips. The rich aroma awakened his sleep-deprived body, pulling him through yet another support comment about Kira followed by a counter comment on a Kira blog. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rich brown eyes glancing at the digital clock on the dresser - Japan was a few hours ahead of where he was, the sky outside the windows a deep black.

"Kira…I'll make sure you regret everything…."

'"_I'm doing this for you, you're much too young to….your whole life is ahead of you, mine I've already wasted…." _Taeku's words from that evening 4 years ago echoed on his eardrums, the despair-spiced kindness shining in the ex-convict's eyes. _"Just…never tell…never…."'_

"Taeku…because of me….you were a target because I…." Yue tossed the coffee cup across the room, ignoring the loud clack as it crashed and broke against the wall. Instead he folded his hands against his forehead, blocking his face, the night silence marred by distant sirens. Slowly he removed his hands, freeing his vision to gaze at the heavily shadowed walls and trail toward the mirror across the room. The coffee cup had struck just beside it, missing breaking the reflective glass by a millimeter.

His tired eyes amid his pale face stared back at him from the reflection, his shirt hung low on his shoulders, his black hair straggly. Pale, dry lips twitched as he drunk in his reflection, vision halting at the scar on his neck; the scar obscured by the darkness, he pictured the marred flesh in his thoughts more than seeing it. Tentative fingers touched it, running along the discoloration as tears filled his eyes.

"…no one ever really stays in my life…not Taeku….not that nameless man…." Yue closed his eyes, lowering his hand to his chest, lips curved slightly. The un-bandaged cuts from yesterday stung yet the pain dulled as images drew into focus behind his closed eyelids. Memories from two years back.

_That night, his recently dyed black hair streaked yellow and his eyes outlined with eye-pencil had freed him from his student persona. He wore a black-buckled shirt over a mesh one, his legs covered by tight bondage-pants decorated with many buckles and skulls. The fake ID in his pocket had awarded him entrance into 3 different clubs that night, his goal to find thrills rather than getting drunk._

_He'd tried that 2 nights before, the hangover almost killing him. Tonight's goal was to feed off the atmosphere of the clubs, soak in the enthusiasm of the club scene. Yet 3 clubs later he'd still lacked the right stimulus._

"_Sheesh…." He exited the club and leaned against it's wall beside the door, rich eyes stargazing at the surprisingly clear sky. The wind only softly fluttered by, lifting the loose front of his hair slightly and he allowed his arms to rest at his sides, touching the wall. He imagined that the streetlights shining on his cheeks made his pale skin glow, illuminated in the comfortable, cool night. _

_Car headlights passed by and he felt someone watching him, the culprit simply breathing about 4 feet to his right. He tilted his head back, dropping his hair from his right eye enough that he could make out the man through the strands. Dark hair left relatively wild, moon pale skin - the man studied him with deep black eyes that conveyed an hunger for a brief second before becoming lifeless. _

"_Hey, wanna hang out?" Yue strolled up to the man, insides brimming with excitement as he read the unnamed man's face - the muscles schooled to not show emotion an easy read to him. Even the smallest ripple showed on a calm lake and the tiniest dot on a blank canvas. 'That course on reading micro-expressions actually paid off…'_

"_That would not be appropriate, I must be getting back to work." The man droned, tilting his head, his thumb briefly at his lips before he noticed Yue hooking his arm with his own. The man's eyes widened a fraction, his mouth twitching._

"_Come on, just a walk down the street? I know a great café with great coffee and hot chocolate…." Yue smiled warmly, holding tightly to the man's arm, his fingers playing with the man's pale hand. He paused as he witnessed the man's expression change slightly - into delight._

"…_and strawberry cake?"_

Yue grinned and he relaxed in the chair, his hair sticking to his tear-glossed cheeks. His memory playing out the rest of that night as the digital clock blinked by the minutes.


	4. Thoughts

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 3

2 Days Later:

Yue read over the notebooks of information he'd gathered from the internet and News about Kira. Every victim's information from age to blood type to time of death he'd written in the composition books. The other information only partly released to the public he kept in a separate notebook and folder - mainly about the deaths of the FBI members, with a group of papers listing all the mysterious deaths surrounding that day. He bit deep down on his lip before leaning back in his seat, the stewardess pushing a tray of snacks and drinks down the plane's center aisle.

Clicking his tongue, Yue opened a link to a Japanese newspaper's site; caramel eyes darting over the page. The stewardess passed by him with the tray as he locked on a peculiar article - a bus high jacking that had resulted in no injuries except the death of the culprit. Death by accident that, according to witness reports, was preceded by a hallucination by the culprit.

"Um, Kira kills by heart attacks, but it is not impossible that he can kill by other means. He can vary time of death according to the 3 days of 1 death every hour, it would not be unreasonable if he could control more."

'_Yet, if the original spacing's of deaths that suggest that Kira's a student can be taken as truth…someone who's intelligent, with a strong view of justice….' _Yue shook his head and scoffed, fingers opening another notebook as the sounds on the plane droned into a blur. _'Impossible. The likelihood of that…improbable, yet….'_

His eyes glanced at the paperback placed on the unoccupied seat next to him. The cover decorated by post-it notes - he read once quickly before swallowing. " 'Once you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.' Holmes' words….the epitome of the detective character…."

Yue opened the first composition book as he sighed and wrote something briefly on the first page. Next he grumbled and closed the book, shutting his eyes for sleep to overtake him.

0

L glanced over the information he'd obtained on Light, comparing it with what he knew about Kira - the most vivid red flag being Light's intelligence and the next being his most perfect character. The profile for Kira was exactly like how Light seemed, and in most prior cases that had been all he needed - since the profile of a serial murderer usually betrayed some identifying characteristic of the culprit, leading to the acquisition of evidence. Kira's profile provided no such identifiable flaws, no threads that could lead L to the evidence he needed for a conviction.

His surveillance of the Yagami's home provided nothing except a reinforcement of Light's intelligence and composure. Leading him to fear that if Light is Kira, he might not survive this battle - someone who didn't wince at killing, who kept his mask on display without a fault would be someone beyond even himself. He had to try a different approach, something more direct to capture Kira.

'_If Kira had to be present to kill, it'd be possible to gain evidence by just figuring out his signature as a serial murderer…but that isn't the case, and Light didn't make any blunders under surveillance…' _L nibbled on his thumbnail, his black eyes drinking in the images from the surveillance tapes - those he recorded from the Yagami's house and those he'd received from the train station the day Raye Penbar died. _'There is something I'm missing…um….'_

Light's anxious expression from the other morning returned to his thought bank, the only aberration he'd detected in Light's persona over the past week. It nagged at him, burning through his other thought trails as he picked up his fork - the metallic utensil held delicately between forefinger and thumb.

'_Light's expression that morning seems to remind me of someone else…but, Yue is his fraternal twin and the likelihood that I'd met him before….it isn't the facial features….'_

L scooped up some strawberry cake and allowed his taste buds to linger over the sweetness as it passed his lips. His right foot scratched his left, the fork left between his teeth as he bit down on the tines.

'…_maybe the expression? But anxiety is common everywhere…no, it's not just that…maybe the situation…?' _The detective's black eyes widened a fraction, his body stilled until he loosened his bite on the fork. His pale skin tinged a brief red and he quickly placed the fork down on the plate before it could fall from his slackened fingers. _'Why would…that night….impossible, the likelihood of that having a connection….'_

L glanced at his plate and frowned, pausing the recorded tapes as he stood up from the couch.

'_I need a break from these tapes and to discuss what to do next with the others….something from 2 years ago in the States…has nothing to do with this case….'_

0

Light laughed after tossing Ryuk an apple, the cameras and listening devices gone from the entire house. He leaned back in his chair, death note opened to a blank page on his desk - the relief flooded through him along with exhilaration. The removal of the cameras signified nothing had been discovered as evidence, but also precluded the start of a new approach - he must ready himself for L's next move.

"Hey, Light, now that the cameras are gone….why don't you answer my question from before? Who's room is that with the photo? The one with the same name in kanji as you…."

"Ryuk…that's someone who pretty much died 5 years ago…." Light intoned calmly, the bristle in his voice undetectable as he switched on the TV and clicked open a pen.

"Eh? But, he's still alive…I saw his lifespan when I saw that photo…it's different than yours, so it's not you…." Ryuk closed his mouth and leaned over Light when he noticed the teen stop writing in mid-stroke of a name in the death note. The brunette quickly recovered and finished the name before glaring at Ryuk.

"He's dead to me. No need to bring him up anymore." The sky outside showed the brilliant blue of a spring sky, the blooming of the sakura trees getting closer and closer each day. Light leaned back in his chair and watched the clear expanse of sky above his window, the boredom he'd once felt sliced into nothingness and instead filled with anticipation for L's next move. The anticipation…he closed his eyes, teeth ground as the image of his brother flashed through his thoughts. It cut quick through the elation of besting L and the Taskforce, cut through the numb fog beneath his pride.

'_Yue…'_ Anger blistered in his chest and the pit of his stomach, Ryuk's words reverberating and smacking against his pride.

**-…you always step toward the opposite side of the hall when you pass by that room….-**

'_Do I really do that? Was it noticed in the surveillance? If it was…dad….' _Light stretched, his body language unconcerned though the memories from his childhood and Yue played on the background screen of his thoughts. _'…might want to ask me about it…'_

0

"_Aniki! Wait up!" Yue called to his brother, leaving behind the group of bullies moaning on the ground. Bruises forming on their faces, cuts marring their skin - Yue's knuckles burned as he flexed his hands. His legs quickly allowed him to catch up to his brother._

"_Get away." Light hissed, his face and body throbbing all over from every blow the bullies landed on him. The relief he'd felt earlier replaced with the simmering heat of rage. His teeth clenched as his younger brother remained by his side, arms offered to provide support to the injured 11 year old. "I said get away from me, Yue!"_

"_Aniki….why are you….I just helped you…."_

"_Helped?! Those boys are ones you fought last week! There's no reason for them to come after me unless there's something you did!!" Light rounded on his brother, ignoring the throb from his abdomen as he grabbed Yue's shirt. The edges of his eyes grew moist and burned - tears that struggled against his self-control blurred his vision. "And this isn't the first time either! Twice last month some boys I hardly knew jumped me - I got away with simply a bloody nose the first time, the second time I had to run from them…all because you have to settle all disagreement with your fists!"_

"…_I don't…it's not….I fought that Yashima boy last week because he was trying to bully you!"_

"_Oh, so it was all for good intentions, huh? Well that turned out just fine, didn't it? Now I'm covered in bruises and have to explain to mom and dad why! I have exams at cram school I have to study for and now I don't think I'll be able to sit at my desk because it'll hurt too much! You might be fine being a screw-up, but keep your crap out of my life!"_

"_Aniki….I…I'm not a screw-up…just because I don't get perfect grades like you, just because I get 98s while you get 100s doesn't mean I'm a screw-up!" Yue snapped, pushing Light to the ground when the elder brother scoffed. His fist swung hard against his brother's face before he could comprehend what he was doing._

"_Yue!!" Their father's voice bellowed loudly as Yue felt himself pulled off his brother who lay in a defensive fetal position on the sidewalk. He paled, eyes swallowing Light's injured form, then their father's patrol car stopped on the side of the road. They were about two blocks from home. "Yue, what have you…?"_

_-_

Yue awoke abruptly as the stewardess pushed the trolley down the airplane's center lane, the memory depicted vividly behind his eyelids. He swallowed and sat up straight, asking for a glass of water when the stewardess expressed concern about his sudden waking. The cool liquid running down his throat soothed somewhat the nausea rolling in his stomach. His hands shook.

"Aniki…." He leaned forward in his seat, recalling what happened afterwards that time - Light ended up being brought to the hospital by their father, his wounds cleaned and bandaged. Three nights in the hospital before Light was cleared to leave, forcing Light to miss the cram school's mock exams and the first day of their grade 6 midterms.

Light had been allowed to make up the tests he'd missed, yet his grade results for the first time were less than perfect - 90s instead of 100s. The nausea Yue felt now was the same as the nausea he felt when he realized he'd for the first time surpassed Light's score on a test. It was also the first time he'd ever felt ashamed for getting a high grade.

"Aniki…I was never able to tell mom and dad it wasn't me who beat you up, because I realized it was my fault either way. I just…I just never wanted to be the forgotten younger twin. The useless younger brother…."

-

"_Useless, you'll never be anything like your older brother." Their grade 7 homeroom teacher leaned over Yue, the black haired, mustached man tossing the 12 year olds' homework on the desk. The deep auburn brown haired boy was the only student in the room, having been singled out to stay after school._

_Perhaps something inevitable when he contested a grade that teacher gave his most recent homework assignment. An assignment he knew he'd done complete and correctly. _

_He swallowed as the teacher's hand…._

-

'_No.' _Yue shook the memory away, shooing away the tears, the cup of water back at his lips. He had the urge to order a drink, but refrained - the plane ticket was under his real name and age, his fake ID long since tossed out. Instead he opened up his composition notebooks housing all of his Kira research and poured over their contents, his sweaty right hand writing thoughts on the investigation in each page's margins.


	5. Family

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 4 **

Sachiko hummed to herself as she hung the cleaned sheets to air dry on the house's small balcony, her eyes watered at the bright sun above her head. The scent of cherry blossoms filled the air and she gazed at the blossoming trees scattered on the block, gentle eyes holding a far away look. Today was Light's first day of university, her eldest child had grown up and she felt tears of joy well in the corners of her eyes.

With a small sigh she finished hanging the sheets and folding the dried clothes into piles. Her motions second nature after playing the role of mother and housekeeper for so long. It nagged at her, gnawed at her as she calmly brought Light's and Sayu's clothes to their rooms, the bliss in her heart pulling away. She swallowed and glanced long at the door after Sayu's room, her eyes glistened before she picked up a duster and broom. Her hand paused at the door, but she sighed lightly and opened it.

Yue's room remained the same as five years back, missing the lived in feeling though not lacking in cleanliness. Her weekly ritual of dusting and changing the sheets kept a fresh scent lingering in the lonely room.

"Yue…." She sighed, eyes riveted to the photograph of her youngest son on the desk. Gentle eyes that quickly filled with tears; she placed the duster and broom next to the bed and picked up the photograph. "You'd have gotten into college by now, maybe even have a girlfriend….Yue, I wish you'd come home or return to your aunt's….Yue….I don't even know if you're still alive…."

Sachiko sunk to the bed, tears sliding down her cheeks as she took her handkerchief from her pocket. _'God, please, bring back Yue….my boy, my sweet boy….'_

Outside the room, Sayu having snuck back inside the house to retrieve a book she'd forgot, listened to her mother from the partly opened door. Her own eyes filled with tears as she listened to her mother's sobs, she lowered her head and clenched her bag unable to move from that spot.

0

Souichiro sat numbly in his chair as he glanced at the sheets of paper L had privately shown him before the detective had gone out to continue on the Kira investigation. He sat stiffly alone in the room, the papers arrayed so one could see the bold type titles on each sheet.

'"_I apologize, I had Watari investigate about your second son, and I uncovered this information. Your second son Yue, after being expelled from junior high and failing high school entrance exams for nonattendance, tried to kill himself….first by cutting his wrist and then by jumping into traffic."_

"_Ryuzaki…" Souichiro's felt his skin grow hot, and his insides turn cold as he listened to the product of L's blatant disregard for his family life. "You had no right….."_

"_Furthermore, he did run away to relatives…ran to them from the hospital once his injuries were recovered, but went missing from there about half a year later. He's has been missing since then, for 4 and a half years." L intoned, his eyes on the papers rather than on Souichiro, his head tilted almost like a gesture of contrition. "I apologize again, Yagami-san, but I felt that if I had to bring your one son to justice, I should do something to bring your other one back."_

_Souichiro, having been a millimeter from exploding on L, fell back into his seat at the genuine regret hinted on the detective's face. He instead bowed his head, and rubbed his temples. "I should have figured you'd investigate it."_

"_One question though, did you inform your wife or other children about Yue being missing? I'm just curious…."_

"_It was Sachiko who found out first, she informed me….we never said anything to Light or Sayu about it, though Light probably figured it out himself. We also never told them that Yue had tried to commit suicide, but that he had an accident."_

"_I see." L turned to leave, nodding at Souichiro's unspoken request to keep the papers. The detective dismissing the rest of the Taskforce as he was going to investigate the suspect directly today._

"Ryuzaki….I can't choose between either son, even if Yue's found, if Light…." Souichiro scooped up the sheets of paper and placed them in the wastebasket. "All I want is for Yue to be happy wherever he may be."

0

Yue stretched as he waited for a taxi, the rest of his airplane ride and then the train ride into the city calm enough to provide him with time to sleep. The two bags, a large one and a small one, that he'd brought with him lay on the sidewalk beside his feet. The smaller held his composition notebooks and other non-clothes items he'd decided to be essential, the larger held his clothes - enough for two weeks in case his family had moved during the past five years.

'_I need to get in contact with dad, knowing him he'll be part of the Kira investigation - working with L to catch Kira….if mom and dad moved…I'll ask around at police headquarters. Some of them probably will remember me….'_

Yue smiled weakly at a memory from when he was 8 years old - he'd visited his dad's job and had gotten his hands on one of the officer's handguns. It was the day he learned that even if you take out all the bullets of a gun there could still be a bullet loaded in the barrel. It was also the day his father's fellow police decided he should be banned from the station until he learned not to fool around with guns, even if he was an incredible shot.

The bullet he'd accidentally fired hit the narrow pupil of a man's face on a poster down the hallway, earning him reproaches and exclamations of amazement from every officer there that day. He hadn't told them he was aiming for the air vent about a foot above the poster.

"I don't think anyone would have forgotten that….especially after they discovered the bullet by chance alone hit a mouse that was living within the police station's walls." Yue chuckled, eyes watering at the corners from the reminiscence. "Of course I couldn't sit comfortably for a week after that incident…."

He stretched again as a taxi pulled up and the driver got out to place his bags in the trunk. As he entered the backseat he told the driver his destination - mentioning the name Yagami along with the address. For a moment or two the driver studied him through the rearview mirror, face scrunched up in confusion - for a split second Yue thought he was going to say he knew the street well and that the Yagami family had moved.

"Are you…are you their son Yue?" The driver asked, face suddenly lit with recognition. "Yes, you are him! The one that shot the mouse at the station!"

"Ah…um…yeah, I…who…." Yue blinked, the driver's face was vaguely familiar and so was the voice. He struggled for a split-second longer to place it when it hit him. "You…you were the janitor at the police station at that time! The one who found the mouse!"

"Yep, I was. But as you can see I'm not anymore, decided there wasn't enough interesting things about being a janitor once the 8 year old mouse shooter stopped coming to the station."

"Well, I was banned…."

"…I heard you were missing, run away or something…."

Yue swallowed and averted his eyes, just feeling the vibrations of the taxi as the driver headed toward the destination. Listening to the sighs of the driver as the sudden silence persisted.

"I'm sorry, it's just that your mother was so distraught when I last saw her about 4 years back…but you're returning home now, right?"

Yue simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"They've never moved, so…." The driver fell silent, the atmosphere heavy as he drove onwards. The rest of the drive not taking long - within 5 more minutes the taxi stopped in front of Yue's childhood home. He gave the driver a polite, wistful half smile and held out the money to pay. "You keep it, it wasn't that long of a drive."

"…thank you…." Yue placed the money back in his pocket after the driver persistently refused it, and exited the taxi. The driver quietly got the two bags out of the trunk and placed them beside the black haired teen; he gave a friendly nod to Yue as he drove away. Yue breathed in deeply as he drunk in the familiar angles and siding and plants of his childhood home. A couple cherry blossoms fell onto his hair as he gripped the handles of his bags; his arms shook as he stepped towards the front door.

0

Sachiko gasped as she felt a hand touch her shoulder, then felt the warmth of her daughter's arms as Sayu embraced her. The words to scold her daughter for not being on her way to school died in her throat, replaced instead by a final sob as she held her daughter close.

"Mom, I want Yue-niichan to come back home too. You don't have to cry all alone…or clean his room by yourself. I'll help." Sayu nodded her head confirming the seriousness of her words, and hugged her mother tighter. In return she felt her mother's arms embrace her warmly.

"I know Sayu, I understand. I…." Sachiko stopped as the doorbell rang, drawing the tender moment to a close. "You need to get to school…I'll write you a note so you won't get in trouble, but you need to go."

"All right." Sayu pushed herself to her feet after her mom already headed for the door. She glanced at the photo of her missing brother, eyes watering once more - she barely remembered Yue, having been no older than 8 when he ran away. It took almost a year before she understood he wasn't going to come home anytime soon. She remembered going through a period where she hated him - seeing her mother crying and her father withdrawn sadness had pushed anger into her heart and reproach into her thoughts.

'_Yue-niichan….'_

She picked up the photo of her brother as she listened to her mother opening the front door, the corners of her gentle eyes tearing up.


	6. Return

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 5**

Dyed dark hair styled to lay over the right side of his face, smooth cheeks with slight coloring and eyes the rich shade of brown with a hint of red, Yue Yagami stood in the entrance hall. He wore a loose white shirt covered with a black, half zipped up hoodie and slim blue jeans torn as a design. On his feet were simple sneakers though he studied them intensely while he waited for the explosion at his appearance. He swallowed at the sound of his mother's gasp, and the clatter of something falling further into the house.

"I'm home." He whispered, hands in his pockets while he listened to the footsteps. The soft creaks and shuffling seemed nostalgic, though his eyes remained downcast. The fingers in his pockets grabbed the fabric, tightened into fists before he numbly took in the missing pairs of shoes.

"Yue-chan?" Sachiko hesitated only a second before wrapping her arms around the teen, tears welling and falling from her eyes and onto his hoodie. She held him in trembling arms, her greeting hindered by the soreness of her throat. Seconds passed, her lips forming the words into halted syllables. "Welcome home."

Yue wetted his lips with his tongue and swallowed once more, his heart racing as he released his hands from his pockets. He ignored their tremble and wrapped them around his mother, her gentleness nostalgic. Footsteps approached tentatively from down the hall near the stairs heading to the second floor. Yue released his arms from around his mother as he noticed Sayu standing just 3 feet away from them.

"Mother, who . . . ." Sayu paused a second as she studied Yue, her brows furrowed until recognition lit them up. "Yue-niichan!" She hurried forward as well, tears in her eyes - yet the moment she reached them she struck the teen in his arm. "Idiot! Why'd you have to run away and make mom cry!?"

"I'm sorry. It's been so long, you've grown so big . . . ." Yue placed his hand on Sayu's head, remembering when she was so much shorter. "Five years . . . ."

"What are we doing? Come inside, come inside. I'll make something up right away. You must be starving." Sachiko let go of her son and wiped the tears from her face. Her smile reaching her eyes. "I can't believe you're home….my son, my Yue…."

Yue smiled sadly and slipped off his shoes, the floor he hadn't stepped on in years felt strange under his feet. Familiar and reassuring.

"How are dad and Light? Aniki must still be a top student, I bet." His face flashed a miniscule twitch of pain, his eyes a glint of jealousy mixed with a tinge of guilt. A brief recollection of the bully incident flashed through his thoughts. He brushed away the memory with a smile and followed his mother into the kitchen.

"Your father is working on a difficult case and today is Light's first day at To-oh University." Sachiko paused, glancing at Yue every few seconds, her hands trembling too much to be much help fixing a meal. Her eyes watered again, the question she wanted to ask dying as her unexpressed sobs filled her throat.

"To-oh's first day of classes is today? But I thought…." Yue glanced at the calendar on the kitchen wall, then at the clock above it. _'I still have time to make it….'_

"Yue? What is it? Do you want to…."

"What school are you attending, Yue-niichan? Have you gotten into a college?"

"I attended as a second year student at an American university last year - and To-oh accepted my transfer request for this school year. But I thought I missed opening day…." Yue replied, missing the surprise forming on his mother's and sister's faces as he studied the wall clock and calendar. The next moment he cursed and slapped his forehead. "I must have been so preoccupied that I messed up my calculation of the time zones changes!"

"Yue-niichan? You're only 18, how can you have attended an university last year?"

Yue glanced down at his sister, his brief surprise changing to laughter. _'Oh yeah, I finally achieved something Light hasn't….'_

"I attended an American High school that allowed me to apply for early graduation - with enough college credits from advance courses to place me in the second year at the University I attended."

"That…that means you're starting your third year, but…if you're transferring…."

"Regrettably, the University I attended in the States doesn't meet the standards To-oh requires to allow me to start as a third year. Thus I'm starting as a first year, but with many of my classes accelerated or honors ones…."

"…Yue….I…." Sachiko glanced at the clock herself, the next moment rushing to the laundry and picking out a blue uniform pants and jacket. The spare uniform Light bought for himself. "Here. You can still make it for the opening ceremony."

0

Light gazed out the window at the clear blue sky sprinkled with sakura petals twirling about. His blue uniform, neat and pressed, he wore perfectly as he approached the stage. Behind him, the strange student dressed in a white long sleeve shirt and blue jeans followed - Light quickly glanced at the black hair, dark eyes, and pale skin as he ascended the stage steps.

'…_.the guy who sat behind me all through exams….' _His face remained composed as he read the commencement speech, years of acting polite while feeling above others kicking in. He recited the speech he could easily have memorized, and then waited for the fellow student to give a similar address.

The process did not take long, and soon he left to return to his seat. As he descended the steps, his sharp ears picked up the whispers of two teachers in charge of the opening ceremonies. Their voices were strained as they discussed a late student speaker.

"….supposed to be another speech, but seems the speaker is late…."

"Late on the first day of university…some slack off…."

"No, it's a transfer from an American university, those he's supposed to be only around 18.…"

"A prodigy? What's his name?"

Light tuned out the rest of the conversation as he reached his chair, the weird student sitting next to him. He faced forward, staring at the stage though he studied the weird sitting position of his fellow student.

0

Yue rushed through the school entrance yard, his heart racing from running to the university after realizing he could still make it for the opening ceremony. He hadn't been days late as he first feared, but just enough to miss the first 10 minutes.

'_My speech can be done anytime during the ceremony, but I must've missed Light's….'_

He reached the doors to the university and heaved in breath as he finished putting on the uniform jacket - the pants he'd changed into at his parent's house. The pants and jacket belonging to Light as a backup uniform. Thin lips curved as memory of his brother's habit returned -- Light always bought a back up uniform for the rare occasions he couldn't wear the usual one.

"What am I doing? I've got to get to the auditorium."

Yue bowed to the faculty member standing at the entrance, ignoring the disapproving glare -- he quickly combed his fingers through his hair. His hand paused a split-second before allowing the strands to fall naturally on his face, no longer styled over the right side of his face.

"Are you by chance the overseas transfer student?" Another faculty member approached, eyes puzzled even as Yue nodded. "But you're Japanese…."

"I lived in the States for a long while, but I'm full Japanese. I apologize for being late, the change in time zones was difficult to deal with."

"Your Japanese is perfect. Come this way, the freshmen commencement speeches have already been made, but there's still time for yours."

"I appreciate it." Yue bowed his head and smiled, trailing behind the faculty member; he heard clapping from behind the auditorium door, his heart jumped in his chest as he briefly imagined what his brother would look like. While the faculty member whispered to someone just inside the door -- which lead directly onto the stage -- he inhaled and then slowly released it.

'_Good, no perform….on second thought I better not finish that thought, now is not the time for perversion….'_

0

'_This guy is L….this guy….' _Light kept his agitation masked as he took in the striking declaration. Ryuk laughed beside him as thought and counter thought swam through his brain. _'I…can't kill….'_

His brown hair swayed slightly as he glanced at the stage, his eyes taking in his surroundings like a camera, though his mind focused only on L. That is until the next speaker strolled toward the podium. Footsteps echoed in his ears, his eyes round and body frozen as he recognized Yue.

Time broke down and he blinked. Half his brain muttered 'it couldn't be' while the other half echoed all the similarities that would be uncanny unless it was. It seemed he was floating, detached from his surroundings -- the only one not a blur was Yue at the podium. All thought of Kira, L, and the investigation vanished as he watched Yue, dressed in a slightly oversized uniform, hair dyed black instead of the rich auburn it'd used to be. Those familiar caramel eyes sweeping over the crowd locked on him once, discreetly yet Light missed no move. His heart pounded.

"Yagami-kun…." L studied Light's sudden change, noticed the on-edge posture and the rounded eyes. The speaker's words echoed over the auditorium, though compulsion kept him staring at the bare expression on his main suspect's face -- surprise mingled with something not quite anger and not quite happiness.

L's lips parted around his thumb as he noticed the sudden moisture in Light's eyes. Something the college student quickly schooled, changing the chocolate orbs to ice. L blinked.

'_What….' _The detective shifted his gaze toward the stage, following Light's -- his thumb slipped along his top lip. It took a mere third of a second to pick out the similarities of the student on stage and Light; the framed photograph in the unused bedroom illuminated in his thoughts. _'Yue? Light's twin? Yet…wait, this person….' _His mind grew blank as a scar on the teen's neck peeked out from the collar, a second scar starting from his right ear and reaching toward his eye. The tussled black hair no longer hid the scar fully. _'Those scars…I've seen….'_

The auditorium exploded in applause as Yue finished his speech and left the stage; the sound drowning out the black haired student's footsteps.

0

Light leaned back against the bathroom stall door, heart racing, hands shaking. He bit down on his lip as Ryuk's voice grinded down on his eardrums. Bracing himself from striking the wall or yelling out, he flipped open his cell phone. On the white display screen the words 'one new message' blinked. He opened it, breath catching as he read Sayu's email.

_-- Niichan! Guess what? Yue's back! Mother cried when he showed up at the front door. Guess it was the right thing to not move all these years, otherwise Yue would have had a terrible time finding us. By the way, Yue borrowed your spare uniform since he just moved back and is going to To-oh like you. Don't get too mad at him k? I already called him an idiot. He seemed sad, maybe something happened in the States?--_

Light clenched the cell in his hand, his emotions a kaleidoscope spiraling in disorder.

"Why now? He should've stayed away…why now?"

Swirls of memories twisted behind his eyelids, ones that were happy, ones that were painful, and ones that were distressing spiraled along without order.

0

Sun and sakura petals filled his eyes as Yue gazed at the clouds -- white rarities among the azure heavens. His hair once more styled over the right side of his face, blocking the 4 year old scar from view. Jagged and discolored, it started at the top of his ear, curved down an inch before rising again to reach toward his eye. Below this scar, 2 inches from it's lowest part curved around his ear, it reached to the scar on his neck - that scar from 5 years ago.

_-Blurred images as the car struck him, sudden pain - his dash into the street preventing any bracing as the car swerved. He blacked out as his back hit the asphalt - the wetness on his neck the last thing he noticed. Police sirens, ambulance, the touch of an oxygen mask…they swirled in his awareness, merging into one prolonged scene. Like a recording of a movie without any discernable plot.-_

"Light…might not want to see me….yet he recognized me the second he saw me…." Yue fiddled with the buttons of the uniform he wore, unable to remember any of the speech he gave as the image of his brother blocked out all other recollection of the ceremony. Beyond that only the blurred images from 5 years back flashed through his thoughts. "Guess dad is the last one left…I wonder if mom got in touch with him yet? I wonder…."

He held out his hand as the sakura petals floated down, two of the pink beauties landing in his palm. His lips curved into a delicate smile, eyes sadly taking in the vibrancy of the blossoms.

"The symbol of the Japanese police is the sakura - the cherry blossom….dad…if he ever found out…." Yue closed his fingers around the two plumes, caramel eyes glistening under the pure blue sky dressed by lazy, drifting clouds. The sound of gunfire echoed in his recollection from four years back - the sound of gunfire and then the touch of something sticky on his hands.

He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, mentally swatting away the images; his body trembled as his throat burned - the petals crushed in his palm.

"Taeku…you plead guilty so I….you barely knew me, yet….you sacrificed your liberty…."

'_If anyone deserved a second chance, it was you…yet Kira….'_

"…Kira will pay for what he did to you, Taeku. I swear I'll see he's brought to justice or I'll die trying." Yue's caramel eyes glinted under the bright expanse of sunlight and sky as the oath he'd first uttered at Taeku's funeral once again spew forth from his lips.

0

L tilted his head and rubbed his thumb over his lip, his eyes glued towards the direction Light had stalked off in after the ceremony ended - towards the restrooms. He moved his hands to his pockets and scratched his left leg with his right foot, his coal eyes now staring at the blank walls.

'_That speaker, unless I'm mistaken, was Yue, and Light's reaction shows he recognized him…though it doesn't appear Light wants anything to do with his brother….um….' _L scratched his head, side-glancing towards the restroom, his lips slightly frowning. _'Should I go see what Light is doing? If Light is Kira, and if how he reacted to Yue's presence is an indicator, he might…about 3% chance…kill Yue. It will prove he's Kira, but….' _

The detective sighed and walked a short distance to a bench within view of the restrooms, removed his shoes and sat down in his usual position. His original plan to meet with Light, reveal his identity, and then head back to the hotel obstructed by Yue's sudden appearance and Light's reaction to it. His curiosity screamed at him to not leave until he was sure it really was Yue and he got a chance to converse with his suspect's brother.

'_I need to know how Yue's presence will affect Light and the investigation. Is Yue for Kira or against him? Would Yue fight for his brother or against him? Using Yue to help catch Light as Kira could be a double-edge sword, but….'_

He focused ahead as he saw Light leave the restroom and noted his suspect's new stoic demeanor. Quietly he slid back into his shoes and walked toward the brunette, noticing that his suspect's schooled expression did not falter once Light noticed him.

"You waited for me to exit the restroom? Don't you think that's a little creepy?" Light locked his gaze on L, eyebrows briefly furrowed in annoyance when the detective disagreed. Silently they both walked toward the wide courtyard of the school, the ground and air littered with cherry blossoms.

L began to speak as they headed for the school gate - the entrance ceremony had ended and there were no classes for first year students. The detective's lips barely moved when he noticed Light stop and his black eyes picked up the sight of Yue standing straight ahead. The black-haired college student wore his uniform jacket tied around his waist, his upper body covered with a long sleeve white shirt, and his hair newly gelled to the side.

"Aniki." Yue held up his hand and approached, stopping only a few feet from Light.

**A/N: End Chapter, please review.**

**This chapter is so much longer than the others because I actually added two chapters I'd written together. (I'm not quite sure how the Japanese school system works, except how the grade-levels are separated and that skipping ahead in grades is generally not done)**


	7. Anger

**A/N: A part near the end of this chapter might count as getting more closer to a M rating than a T - which, depending on things I might change this story back to a M rating in the future for yaoi/BL scenes.**

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 6**

Light froze as Yue approached. The bustling of campus faded into the background like a television buzzing indeterminately. Years long past returned in a flash, colliding with the emotions threatening to burst through his shield of self-control. Images of an empty bedroom, a made, unused bed and a desk gathering dust flickered before his brown irises. All thought about the death note and L and the investigation cowered before his recollection of that first year after Yue ran away.

He vividly remembered the night his parents received the call about Yue's 'accident' - remembered how pale his father's face grew, the abundance of tears his mother cried. He remembered how quickly he realized it wasn't an accident after being told the details; unbeknownst to his parents he'd seen the scars on Yue's wrist. The week before the accident he'd emptied Yue's false-bottom drawer of the razors his twin had hidden.

For the first week of Yue's hospitalization he'd regretted removing those blades, believing that to be the reason for his brother's drastic attempt at suicide. Until he realized Yue hadn't even noticed the loss. His brother's violent, second suicide attempt came two days after Yue recovered from his first attempt - an attempt his parents failed to mention to Sayu or him.

"Aniki…."

"What are you doing here?" Light heard Ryuk chuckling behind him, the Shinigami glancing at him and then at his brother. Anger threatened to burst out from within him, it raged against his self-control by instilling an urge to punch his brother. He bit his inner cheek to still that violent desire.

"Didn't Sayu email your cellphone? I…."

"She did, but that doesn't explain why you decided to return, or why you're here in front of me…." _'Or why you left in the first place….' _Light kept the last bitter thought as a thought, refraining his lips from voicing any word of it. He felt it stab at his heart as a sliver of memory flashed before him - this memory soaked with feelings of guilt and anger.

"Yagami-kun, may I inquire as to who your…friend, is?" L placed an index finger on his bottom lip, trailing it along the thin layer of skin as he visually consumed Yue's appearance. He chewed on the nail as he noted the physical similarities between Light and Yue. _'This must be Yue….Yagami-san will be thrilled once he learns of his son's returned….but…I swear I met him somewhere….'_

"The prodigal son returns, huh?" Light ignored L, his chocolate eyes narrowed even as the detective's ash gray ones memorized the expression. "After five years you finally decide to return. What happened? Did you get into so much trouble abroad that you had to come running home? With how you're dressed I wouldn't have been surprised if you dropped out of school." Light narrowed his eyes at the deep blue uniform jacket Yue wore tied around his waist. "You still have no respect for my things. Give me back my spare uniform jacket if you're not going to wear it right."

Yue bristled under the onslaught of his brother's words, he suppressed the brief urge to give into Light's demand for his uniform jacket. Instead he stared directly into his brother's eyes.

"Don't act so high and mighty, aniki. I'm no longer the younger brother lost in the shadow of the older. And I did not come back to cause trouble. Though if you wish to make trouble, _you_ explain to mom why I decided to stay at a hotel rather than move back home."

"…." Light glared at Yue, the younger's last sentence silencing his planned argument. His rational brain screaming that if he'd pushed Yue to leave for a hotel rather than returning home not a single member of his family would understand or appreciate it.

"…I did not come back for trouble, and I don't expect everything to be fixed overnight, but…."

"Don't expect things to be fixed even after a year, there is nothing you can do to make up for what you caused. It took months before things returned to any semblance of normal after you left. And that was when you merely ran away to our aunt and uncle's place…it took nearly twice as long for mom to not fall asleep crying when you disappeared from our aunt's."

"….I…I apologize….I was going through such….I couldn't deal with staying…."

"You think an 'I apologize' will suffice? You've been gone five fricking years! And right before you ran away you tried slitting your wrists, and when that failed, tried running into traffic! Excuse me for dreading everyday afterwards that mom and dad would receive news about you being dead!" Light realized the attention he was attracting the same moment he realized he was breathing heavy. He'd barely breathed through the course of his yelling, and it revealed itself in his resulting gasps for air.

"…ha! You, worried about me? _Who_ was the one who wanted me out of _his_ life? The one who said not too long before I left that it'd be better if_ I _had never been born?" Yue's voice turned harsh, the cut of it made worse by the sudden lack of yelling. "Just because I was expelled and failed my high school entrance exams…."

"I…I…." Light swallowed, all thought about L standing nearby or Ryuk hovering above them vanished as the brunette felt a rare sliver of genuine guilt creep up. "I hadn't meant that….I was just angry…everyone at school was talking about you assaulting the homeroom teacher and then about you skipping entrance exams….it was shameful…."

"…shameful, huh? Did you happen to keep track of the News lately? That conviction regarding that teacher I punched?"

"…Yeah, he was convicted of…." Light faltered as he recalled what he'd read in the papers, at first not remembering the crime - the next second sickened to silence as he recalled the charge. His chocolate eyes widened as he looked into his brother's caramel ones. "…convicted of coercing….coercing students into performing sexual acts…."

"Yes. I wasn't able to come forward myself, but…."

'_Ok, what was the name of that teacher again? It's going into the death note the moment I get home….' _Suddenly Light remembered about L and the investigation, the word death note prying his attention away from his brother's issues.

L caught onto his suspect's sudden change in demeanor, and found it amusing how Yue could spark such engrossing obliviousness in Light. The detective had a feeling Light hadn't lost track of his surroundings like that for over 5 years, and that it only happened because it was Yue he was arguing with.

'_Perhaps I can use Yue to prove Light is Kira by making him blunder. Of course if this teacher they talked about dies of a heart attack over the next few days, I can increase my pile of reasons why Light is Kira.'_

"Now that you seem to have remembered I'm here, Yagami-kun, perhaps you'll introduce me?" L broke the awkward moment of silence, his coal-black eyes flitting from Light's face to Yue's and back, his suspect's sudden stoic demeanor intriguing.

"Oh, I'm Yue Yagami. Light's younger twin." Yue held out his hand, his caramel eyes drinking in the black haired detective's appearance. The wild, black hair surrounding the pale face, the large black eyes and thin lips - he felt his spine tingle in the few seconds it took for the detective to shake his hand.

"Ryuga Hideki. A fellow first year student starting today." L introduce himself under his alias, eyebrows slightly scrunching, lips forming a miniscule frown - there seemed to be an excited glint in Yue's caramel eyes. The next second it vanished as Yue turned back toward Light.

"Aniki, are you going directly home? If so could you mention to mom that I have something to do and I will be late coming home?"

"…." Light silently stared at his brother as the request left the thin lips, the older Yagami twin's chocolate brown eyes narrowed slightly. "No. Do you _want_ to make mom worry? You've just returned after 5 years….You will come home on time today, and the rest of this school week."

"I can't. There's something I need to look into, the reason I came back to Japan…."

"So the reason wasn't to return home? Why am I not surprised by that? Seems you're still the selfish, irresponsible younger brother…." Light stood steadfast next to Yue, expression composed and his awareness of L and the Kira investigation no longer eclipsed by his brother's arrival. "What reason other than returning home could you possibly have for returning to Japan?"

"That…." Yue's lips and cheeks tightened, his teeth clenched as he swallowed. Taeku's obituary entry flashed through his thoughts as strands of his dyed black hair covered his halfway narrowed eyes. "Someone I knew was murdered. I came to Japan to discover who his murderer is."

"Hm? Why not leave it to the police to handle?" Light replied disinterestedly, turning toward the school gate as a hint for Yue that they should head home. His brown eyes noticed L watching them, the detective's dark pupil eyes unblinking.

"I suppose I could leave the investigation alone, since the world renowned detective L is working on the case. But I find it impossible to do nothing while someone like Kira is acting the vigilante and killing criminals." Yue's words lassoed Light's attention back to the younger twin and brought L's millimeter-widened eyes to drink in the younger Yagami's appearance with the words.

"This…this person you knew….was killed by Kira?" Light asked in an even tone, voice unstrained though inside his heart beat rapidly and pounded his blood throughout his veins. His chocolate eyes settled on Yue's downcast ones while Ryuk's laughter echoed on his eardrums; it took 2.5 seconds longer for his lips to form his next question, during which time Ryuk hovered closer to his brother. "Then….this person you knew….was a criminal?"

Yue felt a chill pass along his spine briefly before raising his caramel eyes to meet his brother's; he swallowed at the calculating gleam he glimpsed in Light's eyes and suddenly felt as though the air itself was crowding around him. It felt suffocating. The silence stretched, with the stillness chilling his spine more, until he forced a response from his lips.

"Let's talk about this some other time. I need to talk to the school advisor about what classes I should take….I shouldn't be that long." Yue felt the lie barely spill forth from his lips before he hurried away, the chill faded by the time he turned the corner of one of the smaller buildings on campus. His knees shook as he braced himself against the wall before walking further onto the campus - he swallowed once more and touched the back of his neck. _'That was strange…it felt like something was there, watching me….yet….'_

'_Ghost? Yeah, like that's possible…things like ghosts don't exist….at least there's no unexplainable evidence to prove they exist.'_

"Geez…." He shook his head, legs bringing him aimlessly towards a medium-large storage building; as he dismissed the thought he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, then calmly exhaled. The image of the man with his older brother floated to the forefront of his thoughts, and tingled his spine for a different reason. "That man….that….Ryuga, was it? I…he….that man in the States…."

_-- The straggly black hair felt soft between his fingers, his left hand holding the older man's head as hungry lips nibbled his collarbone. His other hand roamed down the man's back, exploring the curves and soft skin - gasps escaping his parted lips, and sweat beginning to glisten on his forehead. Cool hands ghosted over his sides as the warm mouth moved lower, to his chest…_

_He licked his lips, eyes glued on the man's mass of black hair, as he felt the man's other hand….--_

Yue blushed and bit on the side of his finger as the images rushed back to him, the vividness of his recollection filling him with heat.

"After two years…." He mumbled, pursing his lips as he heard footsteps approach, his cheeks fading to a soft pink as the person stepped into his view.

**A/N: Chapter End. Yep, as one reviewer noted, Yue did have a one-night stand with L two years before this, with neither giving the other their name, though L doesn't seem to have caught on to who Yue is quite yet - how will this fact affect the investigation?**


	8. Enemy

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 7**

Light watched wordlessly as his brother sped away on foot, the 4-minute-younger-than-him teen rounded the corner before the thought to stop him cropped up. His brain seemed slowed under the onslaught of Yue's unexpected revelation - his brother was against Kira. His brother, with whom he shared the same written name, was against Kira - against him. Ryuk's abundant laughter drilled deeper into his ears as his rational mind sped through the pros and cons, the repercussions of Yue's return and anti-Kira stance. The lag between his rational mind and emotional being, along with his slowed understanding, he thanked as a blessing - he didn't think he could have stopped his skin from paling if the revelation and it's meaning assaulted him all at once.

Yue, his brother, now his enemy - an enemy who would be living in his house, a brother who had had a habit of sneaking through his things before. This kind of person would be living under the same roof as his death note, and after 5 years of separation, Light didn't know if familial ties would bother Yue at all.

Worse, Yue was an enemy he could not kill. Unlike L whom he'd just have to plan right to make suspicion of his death not fall on him, Yue would be impossible to kill. Not just because his death would devastate their entire family after the pain of that 5 year separation - but because writing Yue's name in the death note would be writing his own name in the death note, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't picture his own face while writing it.

"Seems Yagami-kun's brother might have a grudge against Kira." L intoned as he brought his index finger to his bottom lip, still eyeing the direction Yue had stalked off towards. The next moment he flicked his gaze back to Light, ignoring the part of his thoughts that told him to follow Yue.

"Hmph. Whether he has a grudge against Kira or not, our father will make sure Yue doesn't get involved, he's only just returned after 5 years. Mother will be overprotective of him as well." Light shrugged and turned away, his feet taking him closer to the campus gate, the cherry blossoms twirling through the air. The echo of Ryuk's laughter pounded on his ears, yet he ignored it - dismissing it as just an annoying habit of the Shinigami's.

He failed to notice or care if L followed him or not, the multiple revelations today wore him out and he needed to think alone.

0

L tilted his head as Light disappeared from his view, his thoughts flipping through the Yagami brothers' conversation. Every word he remembered, each glare and expression - that rare animated quality in Light's expressions when dealing with Yue intriguing. The fact that the younger Yagami expressed a genuine desire to apprehend Kira and the information about the boys' homeroom teacher from before Yue's disappearance both enriched L's investigation plans with new avenues.

'_Though, what Light-kun said was correct, Yagami-san will most likely not let Yue get involved with the case - using Yue to investigate Light will be pushing it. There is also the possibility that Yue would choose family over capturing Kira….that just leaves with the revelation about that teacher they mentioned - coercing sex from students, with Yue being a victim….if this teacher dies in the next few days then more suspicion can be placed on Light.'_

"Um…Yue Yagami….he seemed familiar, like I met him before…but where…." L began strolling further onto campus grounds aimlessly, his thin and pale fingers taking out his cell phone. Everything that had occurred called for an alteration in plans - a need to speak with the younger Yagami brother. He held the cell phone close to his ear using only his thumb and forefinger, barely a ring rung before the other end picked up. "Watari, yes, there's been a change in….ah, so his wife has already called him. Yes, it is understandable….he can take time off to see his son, no one in this investigation will begrudge him that."

'_Souichiro Yagami knows his younger son has returned and wants to see him….it must be the mark of discipline in his job that explains why he waited for me giving my ok instead of rushing to his family. Such a member of the police force….' _L felt intense appreciation for the police chief's desire for justice, though part of him frowned - the same part of him that shouted in his thoughts to tell what he'd overheard about Yue's teacher to Souichiro; to inform the chief about the sex coercion and….something else. Something else nagged at him, though this something stilled his tongue and only remained as a wordless whisper in his thoughts.

Those pale cheeks and those rich caramel eyes…the words 'I saw him before' burned into the forefront of his thoughts, demanding his attention even as he continued the phone call; his feet bringing him further onto campus grounds.

"I'll seek out a meeting alone with Yagami-san's youngest son, to determine how his arrival will affect things….I'll call you back when I wish to be picked up." L concluded and pressed the end button on the cell-phone, his dark eyes gazing ahead at his surroundings. He froze as those dark orbs locked on Yue standing by a storage building, the 18 year old's stylish black hair accenting the teen's pale cheeks and the uniform jacket still worn about the slim teen's waist - the image mingled with another one in his memory.

L suddenly craved strawberry cake and hot chocolate, a cool chill rushing down his spine.

'_Two years ago….in the States….that night….' _The detective felt his body grow warm, and his chest heavy with held back breath as a swarm of images toppled into his present thoughts. _'Yue was….Yue was….that person….that….' _L pressed his forefinger against his lips, eyes widening a millimeter more as he stared at Yue. He licked his lips unconsciously and then swallowed, his skin growing a degree hotter as he noticed Yue's skin grow red. The teen hadn't realized he was there yet.

"After two years…."

Those words drew his attention, forcing his legs to approach closer to the black-haired teen, his detective intelligence unneeded to deduce the meaning of that utterance - he _knew_ it. He _felt_ the meaning in his body, that revelation as sudden as his realization of where he'd seen Yue before.

'_Yue remembers me from that night….' _L focused his attention on the teen's face as his suspect's brother noticed him and turned his head.

0

Souichiro felt the muscles of his face tighten as Watari informed them that L would seek out a meeting with Yue before he returned - a meeting to judge how the younger Yagami brother's arrival would affect the investigation.

'_If he involves Yue in this investigation…if he tries to use Yue to find evidence that Light is Kira….' _The surge of anger and indignation that rushed through Souichiro threatened to overwhelm him; he pursed his lips and clenched his teeth to prevent the words from escaping.

"Ryuzaki-san is meeting with Yue? But…." Matsuda glanced at Souichiro as the man turned away so he faced the curtained windows. "Light-kun is his suspect for Kira, why meet with Yue…."

"Obviously Ryuzaki is thinking about using Yue to spy on Light, that…." Aizawa, having crossed his arms while Watari informed them of L's change of plan, unfolded them and slammed a fist on the coffee table.

"Please calm down." Watari requested as he watched the taskforce's body language and expressions - the responses he expected the moment he heard L's decision to meet with Yue. "Ryuzaki is meeting with Yue to see how his arrival will affect the investigation - whether he'll help or hurt it or be neutral to it. At the very least, Ryuzaki must determine the risk of Yue siding with Light if Light is Kira."

"Yue…siding with Light…." Souichiro blinked as the thought darted through his thoughts along with memories of his younger son. His clenched fist tightened before he relaxed it and sat down on one of the chairs near the table. "Since Yue will not be home at least until Ryuzaki is done talking with him, I will remain here until Ryuzaki returns."

0

"Ryuk, why are you still laughing like that? It's annoying." Light glared at the Shinigami once they entered an area of the campus grounds that did not have many people nearby. He had switched his destination away from the school gate once he remembered he had to force Yue to go directly home in order to not worry their mother. Further, he had to determine if L would tell Yue anything about the investigation (he cursed himself for not realizing the danger of L using Yue sooner).

"Your brother's reaction was very interesting. How he quickly hurried away when…."

"….I inquired about his friend being a criminal killed by Kira. So? What's interesting about that? Though it is ironic and makes things difficult for me, it's not something to keep laughing about."

"Hahaha…." Ryuk second laughing fit subsided quickly before Light could comment again. The Shinigami flexed his wings and drifted so he hovered right behind Light; his red eyes taking in the image of the college student's brown hair and uniform-clothed back. _'It'll serve you right not letting me finish my sentence….your brother Yue bristled and hurried away after I brushed by him slightly….heheheh, I heard rumors from other Shinigami about occasions where the twin of a death note user was able to sense the presence of their sibling's Shinigami….and it seems it might be true in Yue's case.'_

"You'll have to admit, Light, that things will get more interesting from now on. It'll be dangerous for even you to write your brother's name in the death note if you ever have to, even Shinigami have been known to make mistakes with people who shared a name or looked similar in the past."

"Ryuk, I am not foolish enough to attempt writing Yue's name in the death note. For more than the reason you stated. However, if it does become necessary, I can figure out a way to trick someone else, who doesn't know me, into writing Yue's name in the death note. Like with the FBI agents."

"Oh. So you don't have confidence that your brother would be on your side if he knew you were Kira? But you got so worked up during your conversation - especially when the topic of that homeroom teacher came up, your eyes gleamed like when you write down the name of a very hideous criminal in the death note…."

Light froze and inhaled sharply, instinctively bristling as the briefly forgotten thought pushed itself back to the forefront of his consciousness. That teacher…Hirose….never before did he feel so intense a desire to write a criminal's name in the death note, even his desire to kill L came second. Yet he couldn't….couldn't kill that poor excuse for a teacher with a heart attack. If Ryuga, L, hadn't overheard his and Yue's conversation, he could kill Hirose in an accident, but doing so now could give L the idea that Kira could kill by other means rather than just heart attacks.

'_It will have to be through an illness - one that will take an extended period of time to kill him. Perhaps cancer….or something like AIDS - no, that will just give needless worry to mom and dad if they find out what that teacher did to Yue….safest would be cancer since every family medical history has some form of cancer somewhere in it. Other hereditary diseases could cause needless suspicion if there is no medical history of it in Hirose's family. Besides if the disease is not possible for the teacher to have, that'll run risk of him dying of a heart attack. Cancer is safest.'_

Light glanced toward where the school gate was in the distance, his thoughts on how to deal with that teacher concluded. Next he had to figure out what he'd do about L, and how he'd go about finding out exactly why Yue wished to capture Kira. He gritted his teeth before schooling his face to hide his thoughts - though Yue had been a troublemaker in the past, he couldn't imagine his brother becoming friends with a criminal.

It remained a slim possibility that Yue had known a FBI agent, but that was less than 2% likely. The person killed by Kira that Yue mentioned had to have been a criminal. Yet….yet why would Yue return to Japan just because Kira killed one criminal he'd known? Perhaps…Yue could've have had a relationship with a criminal, but Light seldom wrote women names in the death note since their crimes were relatively minor - and those he did write were ones he knew his brother would never be involved with.

'_It isn't impossible that Yue was involved with a male criminal…but to be involved with a criminal in the first place….especially if it is one whom I wrote the name of in the death note….Yue only just returned, so it's likely a criminal who died recently, however the criminals whom I killed recently had all either been in prison for years or had committed horrendous crimes I know Yue wouldn't tolerate. However….though it is highly unlikely….could one of the criminals I killed have been falsely convicted or charged?'_

He bristled again and shook that possibility away - locked it deep where he hid any doubt that had struggled to arise since he first became Kira.

'_No, no…that's impossible. But then why would Yue feel so strongly about the death of a criminal? I never knew him to have a strong sense of justice….but….' _Yue's appearance flashed in his thoughts while he thought, along with the sense that there was something he'd overlooked. Something about Yue's appearance, besides his age, was different than his memory of his brother. Some change to his physical appearance….

"Ah! That scar!" Light felt the outburst spill forth from his lips before he could help it, and he quickly checked his surroundings with his peripheral vision for anyone who could've overheard it. He heard Ryuk hover next to him with an inquiring 'eh?' _'It's that scar around his ear….the one Yue received from his accident 5 years ago was lower - closer to his neck and collar bone. The scar around his ear he must have gotten after he ran away….'_

'_Perhaps, the criminal Yue mentioned had helped him in the past…maybe protected him…wait….' _Light froze as one of the criminals he killed before the surveillance surfaced in his thoughts. A criminal who had had a clear shot of being paroled at his parole hearing mere months in the future. That criminal's previous criminal record and the preliminary investigation as well as statements by his previous victims' families had all pointed to the certainty of his guilt - hell, the criminal had even plead guilty to his most recent murder….

Yet new evidence had arisen nearly guaranteeing him his parole - evidence that came from an undisclosed source. Perhaps….perhaps that source had been….

'_But why would Yue bother investigating someone who plead guilty to first degree murder? It was not like the criminal was protecting the real culprit….'_

0

"Is this chance or did you follow me?" Yue inquired as L approached him, his caramel eyes half-lidded as he drunk in the black hair and eyes, along with the pale skin, of the detective. "Ryuga-san?"

"Chance. Though I cannot say I did not want to meet with you again." L tilted his head as he studied Yue's expression - only a foot gap remained between them, with the younger one still leaning back against the storage room. "There is something I wish to discuss…."

The detective's words were cut off by the thin, soft lips pressing down on his, while lithe arms pulled him close. The sensations produced familiar and warm - nearly hungry as they gave way to a few seconds of blank thoughts. L heard Yue open the storage shed door and pull him inside the dark room, but his mind grew blank - his body remembered that night two years ago.

The door shut and Yue pulled him close against a wall of heavy crates - the hungry kiss lasted 1.3 seconds longer before L pulled away.

"Yue-san, Yue, I simply wish to talk….not reenact that night two years ago. I…." L stepped back a quarter of a foot as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Slivers of light snuck in from the spaces between the door and wall, and the door and floor. L glanced at them, adjusted eyes quickly taking in the unused space surrounding the door as his finger made it back to his lips.

"Ryuga-san, why not do both? It must be something like fate…to meet each other again….the probability of such a thing…."

'_Is higher than you think….'_

"Yue-san…."

**A/N: Ah, L and Yue…I wonder what Light will say if (when) he finds out? (God, some times these author notes are harder to write than the fic itself - I can't think of anything except Please Review.)**


	9. Lover

**A/N: First part of this chapter might lean more towards a M rating than a T.**

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 8**

Slender hands tore the finger from L's lips and a warm mouth descended upon his. The kiss energetic as Yue pressed his body against the detective's, hands holding their bodies close. The heavy crates creaked with their combined weight leaning against it, the sound echoing.

Yue slipped his tongue pass L's lips, smiling as he tasted strawberries and cake. His left hand snaked up L's side, under the shirt - his tongue dived deeper into L's mouth as he pinched a nipple between forefinger and thumb. The resulting moan vibrating on his tongue sent a pleasing chill down his spine, the heat between his legs tingling.

"Umm, Yue-san…." L broke away from Yue's lips, gasping for air as the younger male tried to reclaim his mouth. He withdrew from the hungry lips, trying to draw in enough breath so he could speak - the next second trembling as Yue began nibbling on his ear. The warm mouth slowly trailed caresses down to his neck, leaving the assaulted skin tingling with heat. "Yu….Yue-san…."

'_This….this isn't professional….if Yagami-san or Light-kun find out….'_

L fought against the urge to close his eyes and bask in the pleasure the tongue and lips provided, and instead pushed Yue away. Memories tore through his consciousness, pleading for him to allow the younger man's ministrations, every bit of skin remembering Yue's touch from two years back.

"Yue-san. This isn't right. We must abstain from…."

"Come on. You remember me from two years ago, don't you? How perfect…."

L felt his cheeks grow hot, his stomach bubbling from a mix of pleasure and guilt. He pursed his lips and averted his eyes from Yue as he tried to hide his body's instinctive response to their kissing bout.

'_I remember every vivid detail….now along with the knowledge that you were underage at the time…and that you're Kira's younger brother.' _

"Yue." L began as Yue attempted to pull him back into another make-out session, his serious tone causing the younger Yagami twin to pause. "This will not work out. Your brother…."

"….do you have an interest in aniki?" Yue frowned and backed away, kicking the storage room floor dishearteningly. Inside he felt envy bubble up, rising to his caramel eyes - those sensuous orbs narrowed as his lips twitched.

"I…have an interest of sorts, but not the kind you mean." L chewed on his forefinger, refraining from commenting on the cuteness of Yue's expression as he noticed the flare of jealousy that arose on the younger twin's features. _'Maybe I should've picked a different venue for talking with Yue…somewhere not quite so private.'_

"Then what about aniki forced you to stop me? I'm of age and we're alone - if you'd rather go to a hotel…."

"No…no, I'd rather not…." L nibbled on the edge of his thumbnail, his black eyes staring unblinkingly at the crates and boxes piled around them. _'Should I reveal who I am now? Or wait until I have a better feel for his character? If he finds out I am L and that Light is my Kira suspect….will his grudge against Kira overpower any familial ties he has to Light?' _"Since it will no longer be a one-night event, I'd rather learn more about you first."

"Ah. I see. So what do you wish to know? You've probably learned a bit from listening to aniki and me arguing….I'm Yue Yagami, the always second best younger brother who absconded from home five years ago."

"Oh…interesting word choice, as absconded implies fleeing from arrest or prosecution….are you in trouble with the law? Since you said you knew someone killed by Kira…."

"Kira killed FBI agents, thus it is not 100% assumable to think I knew a criminal or broke a law myself."

"But the chances of you knowing a FBI agent are .3%. Even if you knew someone in the FBI by chance, the names of those agents killed were never released to the public. Thus it is reasonable to assume this person you knew who Kira killed was a criminal. Which begs the question…why seek revenge for someone who might have deserved…."

"Taeku-san did not deserve to die! He was innocent…falsely convicted of the crime that….that…." Yue glared at L, slicing through the detective's words as his own trailed off once he realized where they led to.

"To my knowledge, Kira hasn't killed a criminal who was innocent or whose conviction had doubts surrounding it. If this Taeku-san didn't have a criminal record…."

"I didn't say he didn't have a criminal record, but he paid for those crimes - repented. His most recent conviction was a false one, he was close to winning his appeal when…."

L tilted his head, lips frowning as he turned Yue's words over in his thoughts. The percentage of truth to claims of innocence from criminals or their friends or relatives he'd always found minimal, especially with the cases he handled. There were occasions when such claims were true - he had aided enough falsely accused prisoners in receiving pardons to know the justice system wasn't perfect - but so far he hadn't found a criminal killed by Kira who was clearly innocent. Yue's claim fought against his reason, but the certainty in Yue's voice fought against that doubt.

"Are you saying you know for a fact that this Taeku-san was innocent? Or was it just what he claimed?" L watched as Yue stared straight into his eyes, conviction shining in those caramel orbs that chilled his spine.

"I know he was innocent. Taeku Takashima-san died for a crime he didn't commit. The only thing he was guilty of was pleading guilty to it." Yue swallowed back the rest of the words pushing to escape his throat, those words he'd forever wish he'd said before Taeku died. Those words were the foundation of his conviction.

'_I sense the truth in his words. I believe them. But that would have to mean that….'_

"You must know who really committed the crime if you know he was innocent. That he plead guilty means he didn't tell you who it was in an effort to be freed, yet you care enough to seek revenge against Kira…." L studied Yue's facial expression closely, noticed the flicker of his eyelids and the twitch of his lips, his brief swallow.

"You must be a detective." Yue uttered with a exhale of air. "I don't think I have to say it, since there is only one way anyone could be certain in this type of situation."

"Yue-san." L felt the last of the pleasurable atmosphere from earlier evaporate; the heaviness seemed to crowd out the light peeking from the entrance, and silence filled every crevice of their surroundings. _'You…you committed the crime Taeku plead guilty to….most likely a crime of murder if Kira killed him even though evidence existed that could've won an appeal.'_

"Ryuga-san, who are you really?" Yue's words broke the silence, his expression one of intrigue and suspicion, with the desire to be wrong mixed within. "From your interest in checking my fake-ID two years ago I figured you'd be over 18 then, making it less likely that you are a first-year college student this year. And the name Ryuga Hideki is the same as that celebrity….so…."

'_With the likelihood of dad being involved in the Kira investigation, and the possibility of Kira being connected to the police or their families….'_

"Perhaps you should consider being a detective yourself, Yue-san. I can read your deduction through your expression….as well as your wish for it to not be true. I'm afraid I must say it is true - both parts - and I must ask what you will do knowing this."

"….L…." Yue's cold caramel eyes locked on the detective's face, throat going dry when the dark haired man didn't blink and just continued to calmly study him. The detective waited patiently as Yue inhaled and swallowed, the next words hindered by their heaviness. "Then….aniki…."

"…is suspected of being Kira. Yes. Now, what will you do knowing this? I cannot let you into the investigation because of the risks, but…."

"Aniki….I'll…." Yue closed his eyes for a moment, memory and thought swirling together. He inhaled and exhaled, hands in his pockets as his stomach settled and conviction solidified in his eyes and face. "I'll investigate on my own….to find proof that aniki is innocent."

"Ah, interesting. But the point of an investigation is to…."

"….is to find out the truth, not a way to place guilt. Eliminate the impossible and what remains is your answer - no matter the improbability."

"Paraphrased from Holmes. Yes, either way it's investigated, the truth of this case will be revealed. Just…be careful, Yue-san. Whether Kira is your brother or not, he is dangerous and you will not have the protection of the taskforce while you investigate on your own."

"Yes." Yue turned toward the storage room exit, his footsteps hardly audible as he approached the door, pulling it open. He stepped out into the brightly lit space and paused, making no motion to glance back at the dark haired, dark eyed detective. _'Though, those who view death as a punishment are generally those who fear death themselves….or believe it will never happen to them.'_

0

Light spotted his brother coming from around the corner of a building as a sharp breeze rustled the cherry blossoms floating through the air. His chocolate eyes studied Yue intently, his lips pursed - he swallowed back the question that lingered in his thoughts, and allowed his legs to carry him closer to his brother.

"Aniki…." Yue half-smiled at his brother, recalling a scattering of early memories during Elementary school - memories of Light waiting by the school gate for Yue or of Yue waiting for Light. During those early years they'd been inseparable, enjoying a bond only twins could share. _'It'd be nice if that could've continued…maybe I wouldn't have left then.'_

"It's time to go home. Did you speak with the school advisor? It didn't seem to have taken that long." Light felt his mouth speak the words as his mind formulated all the questions he really wanted answered - namely 'did Ryuga speak with you? What did he say?'

"….I got about halfway toward the main building before realizing he wouldn't have time today. He's to meet with me tomorrow anyway."

"Ah, so you just used that as an excuse to leave. Probably to sneak away…."

Yue glared at Light, silencing the older Yagami brother. Around them another breeze swooshed, carrying a pink blanket of blossoms twirling towards the ground. After a brief moment they began walking toward the campus gate, Yue's voice the next one to speak.

"I mentioned earlier, if you wish to make trouble, you'll be the one left explaining to our family why I refuse to live at home. I'd rather not cause more grief to mom, dad, and Sayu - but I will not tolerate your degrading assumptions, aniki."

"So you'll make me out to be the bad guy, huh? I'm not the one who ran away for a duration of 5 years. That was you."

"Do you still follow a black and white philosophy? Ah, it doesn't matter. I just refuse to take responsibility for things that are not my responsibility. And, I'd rather keep things at home as comfortable as possible - I have no inclination to interfere with your studying and whatnot at home."

'_Black and white philosophy? Is that a question aimed at gauging the percentage of my being Kira? No, I don't know yet if L did meet with Yue - no, I should treat things as though L did tell Yue about the investigation. I can't reveal my suspicions though. Not yet.'_

"'No inclination to interfere?' Does that mean you're going to focus on your search for Kira solely? Something so dangerous….dad would never allow it, you've only just returned. If you misstep and become Kira's victim…."

"Ah, no sweat, I'll just pass myself off as you - change my hair, maybe wear contacts. We share the same name so…." Yue replied nonchalantly as they passed through the gates and onto the sidewalk just outside school grounds. He bit his inside cheek as he heard Light stop and sensed the brunette stiffen.

"…that is not funny, Yue. Kira is not a joking matter." Light narrowed his eyes sharply at his brother, his otherwise impassive face exhibiting a scolding expression. _'Does this joke mean Ryuga didn't say anything? Or is it to gauge my reaction? To see if such a thing would cause me fear?'_

"Did I say I was joking, aniki?" Yue countered, his eyes slightly narrowed with a small smirk on his lips. He placed his hands in his pockets, elbows jutting out as he studied Light. "I said before I wanted to find Kira - I don't take him as a joke."

Light blinked at the serious expression on his brother's face, the response he had planned pushed back by the slightly veiled, if useless, threat. _'He said that so believably, if I wasn't Kira, I'd actually be scared. So familial ties wouldn't mean anything to Yue now? Or does he just hate me?'_

"I prefer to believe you are just joking. Yue….I also prefer to doubt you having a connection to a criminal enough to want to capture Kira to avenge their death…."

"I did not say I wanted to avenge anyone's death…."

"Heh. You implied it. Don't try to deny that."

"I implied I want to find Kira because he killed someone I knew, but I didn't say that person I knew was someone I cared for - here's a theory, perhaps I want to find Kira because he killed someone I wanted to kill myself."

'_What….Yue….does he seriously expect me to believe that? Or is it to cause doubt to somehow manipulate me? It isn't impossible, yet it's more likely not….wait, there's a chance this could not be because of Ryuga, but an attempt to….'_ Light glared at Yue suddenly, his eyes coldly observing his brother.

"Yue, quit it. I will not engage in such a mind game with you. Are you trying to bond as brothers again by playing such a game like when we were younger? Your favorite game of guessing possibility and probability?"

Yue stared at Light for 2.3 seconds before he sighed and relaxed his arms at his sides.

"Can't blame me for trying, right? It was our favorite pastime growing up - trying to outthink the other. We kept a tally of how many times we successfully tricked the other - I believe it was left at a tie when I ran away." Yue resumed walking toward the bus to take home, his black hair shadowing his eyes as he felt Light watching him. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, a chill threatened to run up his spine. _'Light…aniki….if it turns out that you are Kira….'_

"No, I remember the tally left me in the lead before you disappeared. But I have no desire to resume keeping a tally again or playing such a game. There are much more important things I must focus on." Light replied as the bus pulled up and they boarded it - the crowdedness of it forced them both to stand, and Light cursed inwardly. He'd planned to take the less crowded train on his way home, or a less heavily packed bus. His determination to guarantee Yue returned home promptly, along with his desire to delay Yue's investigation on Kira had forced him into this inconvenience.

'_Yue, I will not allow your return to dampen my plans as Kira. But I won't kill you unless it becomes necessary. I need to find out how much you know about the investigation, if L told you anything….'_

Chapter End

A/N: This is unrelated to this fanfic, but I have finished reading the book Beyond Birthday appears in and I wondered how many of you have thought like me that if Beyond had just waited a few years before challenging L, he could've had a chance to surpass L by capturing Kira first? Beyond has the Shinigami eyes, and he probably would notice that Light and Misa would not have visible lifespans, as well as he'd be able to tell if someone died before their lifespan ended. I posted this idea to my death note forum on this site but haven't gotten any responses to it yet. (I feel sad, no one responds to my forums posts...).


	10. Jealousy

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 9**

L sat silently in his chair, eyes on the laptop screen and his black hair shadowing his face as behind him the taskforce members mumbled amongst themselves. The lack of greeting from him as he returned, the lack of a single word or sound - irritated and worried each of them. The silence grew as the detective clicked on a link in the browser screen, his knees pressed close to his chest.

"Ryuzaki…." Souichiro approached, pulled between the desire to leave to see Yue and the need to know what L revealed to Yue. His voice broke through L's unreadable mood, the heavy atmosphere slightly lessened as L turned his face to the police chief.

"Yagami-san, I've given my permission for you to take a day off from the investigation to welcome back your son. I suggest you hurry and take it so the investigation will not be stalled."

"Before I do, tell me, did you reveal anything about you or the investigation to Yue?"

L hesitated briefly, finger tapping his bottom lip before he moved both hands to his knees and turned toward the police chief. "I did not have to. Seems the reason he came back to Japan is to catch Kira. If you do not wish for him to get involved, you must tell him yourself. I will not stop him. Nor will I pit him against his brother…."

"Ryuzaki…." Relief replaced the anger Souichiro had felt as he heard L's last sentence; however the prior sentences let loose a wave of anxiety within him. He nodded and picked up his coat, turning toward the exit as he bit back his other inquiries - desire and anxiety to see Yue whelmed through him.

"….There is one thing I must mention before you leave, Yagami-san." L spoke up before Souichiro took a step toward the door, the detective's dark eyes hidden by his unkempt black hair. The light from the computer screen before him on the table highlighted his face, making the shadowed parts deeper; he scrolled down the page briefly then stopped. "Yue's homeroom teacher during Junior High, his name was Hirose Izaki, correct?"

"Yes, but…."

"If that teacher dies over the next few days, my suspicions of Light being Kira will increase. That is all." L chewed on his thumbnail as his eyes scanned the article, the name and face of the teacher burned into his mind. He betrayed no sign that he noticed the bewildered looks on each taskforce member's face, or the inquiring glances they gave each other and then Watari.

"Ryuzaki, why…."

"Wait, that name sounds familiar…Hirose Izaki….homeroom teacher….ah!" Aizawa's lips parted and eyes widened as he remembered a phone call from his wife earlier that week. That teacher had worked at the school she'd wanted one of their children to attend and the News about his conviction had shocked her. He paled as he glanced at Souichiro, his gut deducing the reason for L's statement before his brain could catch up.

"Aizawa, what is it? Do you know…."

"Hirose Izaki…that teacher was recently convicted of sexually harassing and raping some of his students…male and female…."

The color drained from Souichiro's face as the words assaulted his ears, his quick glance at L, who nodded, confirming his unasked question. Not even a quarter of a second passed before he exited the room, anger, rage, and reproach bubbling inside him.

0

Light shut and locked his bedroom door as he listened to his mother's voice from downstairs as she doted on Yue; the moment they'd walked through the door she'd embraced Yue and pulled him into the dining room, barely waiting for Yue to take off his shoes. Lips pursed firmly shut, Light had followed them expecting some extravagance for Yue's return - perhaps a fancy dinner or cake. He hadn't expected their mother to decorate the entire dining room like a birthday party or to stack two piles of presents against the wall. Presents that were, by the faded coloring of the ribbons and wrappings, those bought for Yue during the five years he was missing.

He'd felt the corners of his eyes burn along with his chest from the torrent of emotion bubbling up inside him. Before his mother noticed, he'd excused himself and went upstairs, Ryuk floating after him. He tightened his hands into fists while resisting the urge to hit the wall or door.

'_Why does he….he ran away and stood away for five years yet….' _Light glared at his door as though able to see through it and the floor below to where Yue was. _'What about me? I've become the ideal son….yet he….'_

He gritted his teeth and swallowed back the words pushing themselves into his throat; the logical part of his brain scolding him for being unreasonable - of course Yue's return would warrant such a reception by their mother; it would've been unreasonable if their mother had not been extravagant. Feeling jealous of Yue was unreasonable and illogical, no matter how unfair the attention given to the younger twin seemed.

'_Why am I focusing on Yue, when I should be focusing on L? Dammit. If I don't make a plan to get rid of or neutralize this Ryuga person, I will be in danger. Yue always scored lower than me on tests…his intelligence…..'_

"Damn. I need to focus on L and the investigation! This stunt of Ryuga's, telling me he's L, has successfully allowed him to attack and defend with the same action. It's to tell me, in an effort to catch me off guard and aggravate my plans, that I am still a suspect, while keeping himself safe from retaliation." Light spoke in an even, low voice while he approached and sat down at his study desk. By diverting all his frustration and anger from L's actions onto Yue and then sequestering all thought of Yue away, he was able to focus calmly on the meaning of L's actions, and how he should respond. "If I write Ryuga's name in the death note now the only thing it will do is prove I am Kira. I can't….I can't do anything until I know for a fact that this 'Ryuga' person is the real L….then I'll still have to be careful in how I get rid of him."

Light leaned back in his chair, left hand massaging his temple - the beginnings of a headache threatened an onslaught. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, the sights and sounds around him blocked out as he calmed all panic inside him. Though he never expected Yue to return nor that Yue would wish to find Kira, he could handle this curveball fate had thrown at him. To deal with Yue he simply needed to figure out why he wanted to find Kira….then he could calculate if the reason would be greater than family ties.

'_Regardless of what happened these past 5 years to Yue, I cannot really see him as being my enemy once he realizes I'm a suspect. He used to beat up every person - even high school kids - who tried to bully or harm me. It caused problems for me sometimes, but he had good intentions and loyalty. I need to figure out if he still has that loyalty.'_

The sound of shuffling feet from downstairs died down for a few moments before he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Soft footsteps as though the person walking up didn't wish to disturb others. He listened as the footsteps reached the second floor and fell quiet enough so he couldn't hear - the next sound he heard was a door opening and closing.

'_Yue's room….probably Yue went in there to change out of the uniform. Mother or anyone else wouldn't have made a big deal of being quiet. Mother actually would probably drag me downstairs to celebrate…same with dad. Um…I wonder, will dad be given time to visit since Yue has returned? I don't think anyone in the investigation will deny him the chance to visit the son he hasn't seen in 5 years. Though….'_

Light glanced at the clock on his desk, calculating how much time had passed since Yue showed up - their mother would've called their father the moment she could and their father would've went straight to getting special permission to visit.

'_I half expected dad to be home already in order to see Yue - or even to pick us up from college….but, if that Ryuga is L….and L decided to talk to Yue….dad would probably have been informed and know he couldn't see Yue until after L finished meeting with him. Dad not being here right now makes it more likely that Ryuga is L, but I still need concrete confirmation. Both that Ryuga is L and that L met with Yue.'_

0

Yue quickly changed out of Light's spare uniform after his bedroom door shut, the quasi-nauseous sensation in his stomach intensified. He dived into the bag housing his clothes and rummaged through them until he found his dressiest clothes: black slacks with a dark gray hem and pants cuffs, and a white shirt with a ruffled button collar and sleeves.

'_Aniki's spare uniform would be better, but….he doesn't like me wearing it and I'd rather not get into any arguments. Besides….' _He opened the door to his closet, the full-length mirror attached to the door reflected his nearly nude body. The clothes he picked out held in his arms. The recent angry scars on his arms stuck out on his pale skin, clearer than the scars on his neck and around his ear. He lingered over them until a chill passed through him. Inhaling sharply at the cold sensation, he touched the back of his neck and turned around, his eyes wide.

"I could've sworn…." Caramel eyes saw nothing behind him except the bed and desk, his bag still where he placed it.

_-'Hahaha….it's true, he senses me. He'll need to touch the death note to see and hear me, but….'- _Ryuk hovered over Yue's bed, watching the younger Yagami twin's eyes shift from the bed, to the desk, then back to the bed. _'Oh, Light will definitely be in trouble - and pissed - if I don't tell him.' _Ryuk chuckled as Yue turned back to the mirror and began dressing - dress pants easily slipped on. _'I wonder if….' _Ryuk paused, his Shinigami hearing picked up Light calling for him, the tone saying 'no more apples if you don't appear' _'Ah, it will be more entertaining to just watch things unfold….'_

Ryuk hovered over to the wall, heading towards Light's room, the idea sparking within him as he neared Yue by the closet. Chuckling he phased through Yue and then continued to Light's room, oblivious to Yue's response.

Head to foot coldness flashed through Yue the moment Ryuk phased through him, and the black haired teen trembled; his mind flooded with memories of five years ago, from both of his suicide attempts, and one from 9 years ago. He felt the terror of death saturating all three memories, the two from five years ago engulfed with a longing to be rescued and to no longer feel hurt. Those memories made his scars burn and his head pound.

He steadied himself against the wall before he collapsed onto the floor - the shirt he'd been attempting to put on dropped from his arms.

Lungs burning, legs suddenly weak - Yue felt as though he was drowning, and there was a dim soreness around his ankle.

Just like 9 years ago.

"Aniki…." Yue's eyes watered and he slid to the floor, the sensation of sinking fading though the memories crashed into his consciousness like waves. He wrapped his arms around his face as the tears flowed, his lips trembling.

_Water all around him, tendrils of fear slipped through his body from his stomach. He felt the thing in his hand drop back into the water as his sprained ankle burned. The laughing and relieved faces that surrounded their younger classmate coughing up water at the edge of the pool failed to notice._

_He struggled to tread water while the pain increased and spread from his ankle - he glanced toward figures approaching through the pool gate. He opened his mouth to call out, but a stab of pain caused him to sink a bit lower, and he ended up gulping in water._

'_Aniki….' He pleaded in his thoughts, panic filling him after every second of pain._

"_Yue!" He heard his brother's voice as he closed his eyes, a splash and felt arms grab him. He blacked out, awakening to his brother's angry, scared voice yelling at everyone else. Warm towels had been wrapped around them both._

"_Ani…."_

"_You idiots! How could you not notice! You knew Yue had a sprained ankle, but you still ignored him after he helped that younger student! Idiots!" Light shouted at their classmates and the adult supervisors - the sight of the 9 year old yelling at the teacher and the older students strange. Yue never saw Light lose control before, nor could he remember the last time tears filled his older brother's eyes. "If I hadn't noticed…."_

_Light coughed and pulled Yue closer to him - his towel wrapped around both of them though Yue was already wrapped tightly in his own._

"_Aniki." Yue moved to give his brother full use of one of the towels, noticing how soaked Light was. His movements drew Light's attention to him, and narrowed, teary chocolate eyes met his caramel ones._

The knock on his door tore his thoughts away from the past, and he bit his lip to still the trembling inside him. Flashbacks from the 3 near death experiences in his life knotted his stomach, and he felt weak - his body not budging from its spot by the closet.

"Yue? Mom wants us downstairs - dad called, he's on his way home." Light's voice broke through the shroud of painful memories plaguing him.

He nearly called out in a happier voice before he remembered - Light was L's suspect for Kira. His older brother was suspected of being Kira - the one responsible for Taeku's death. Yue bit his lip and stood up, quickly putting on his shirt.

"I'll be down soon, aniki."

**A/N: I am so fricking glad I had already uploaded this chapter to document manager before my computer crashed a few days ago. I had to reboot the whole thing using the disc and thus lost all my files, the only good thing being that I have most of them saved on CD or uploaded on this site already, or printed out. Thankfully I've lost only a few fanfiction files, and those mostly contained only one or two sentences. Anyway, this is the last complete chapter I have written, and so it will probably take me a while to post again - and hopefully, my computer will not crash again, at least not until I get more ink and can print out all the chapters that I type up.**


	11. Regret

A/N: I've decided to change this fanfic's rating back to mature for future chapters

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 10**

Souichiro parked his car in the driveway, pressed the button to lock it, and then hurried to the front door. He swallowed, shaking inwardly from all the recent events and stresses, along with memories from years back. It all rolled together into a tumult threatening to tear him up from repressing it - the relief of Yue's return after five long years came amid the stress of having Light suspected of being a mass murderer, he didn't know what to feel or how to endure it.

He had to keep himself composed, had to keep the emotions from his job out of his personal life, even though now his job and personal life had become connected.

'_I must not keep myself preoccupied on the case now. I'm returning back to it tomorrow, tonight I need to focus on my family. Need to focus on Yue.'_

He opened the door as he finished focusing himself, pushing aside the worries even if only temporarily. His tired, yet expectant eyes searched the front hallway the door opened to for his awaiting family - yet only Sayu and Sachiko were there. Both welcomed him with uneasy smiles and he almost asked his question before he heard the raised voices from upstairs.

"Light and Yue….."

"They've been like that for about 10 minutes. Arguing. I don't think they've started fighting physically, but they didn't seem to notice me when I tried to stop them from yelling."

Souichiro sighed then massaged his temple and forehead, the yelling loud enough to hear but not enough to make out the words. "What are they arguing about?"

"I made out some words about Light's spare uniform jacket and Yue's clothing choice, but…."

"Uniform…? Didn't they always used to fight about such things?"

"Yeah, that's why I don't really want to try to stop them…." Sachiko smiled a full smile, with moisture at the corner of her eyes. "It's been so long…it's nice to hear Yue's voice even if it's shouting. It makes it feel like things are just as they were five years ago."

Souichiro nodded, slipped off his shoes and entered further into the house, the yelling above a bit more distinct as he moved closer to the stairs. He glanced back at Sachiko before he stepped on the bottom stair, then he shifted his gaze back upstairs as he ascended a couple more steps.

"Light, Yue, stop yelling. Tonight is to be a celebra….." His words died when a loud thump sound, as though something or someone hitting the wall. Within seconds he raced up the stairs, reaching the second floor in time to catch Yue lunging at Light with a readied fist. "Yue, stop!"

The younger twin froze as his father's voice reached his ears, his left hand held the collar of Light's shirt while his right hand he readied for a punch. His caramel eyes glanced toward the stairs then at his brother's face, noticing the slight smirk that quickly faded from Light's lips.

'_Son of a….' _Yue lowered his right arm as he glared directly into his brother's face. _'He heard dad's voice from downstairs and pushed me to bait me into…..'_

"Violence isn't an answer to winning arguments, Yue." Light calmly spoke, the tone betraying a hint of condescension. The older brother straightened out his ruffled clothes before turning to their father, his eyes gleaming with the expectation of seeing their father's disapproving, disappointed expression. Chocolate eyes widened at the worry and horror displayed on their father's face.

"Yue, your arm….what….." Souichiro approached his youngest son, ignoring Light's puzzled stare. The marks of bright red on Yue's white shirt sleeve were small, but Souichiro noticed them, and his stomach clenched. Immediately Yue pulled his left arm away and hid it behind his back, his head lowered so that his hair covered the top half of his face.

"It's nothing." Yue bit down on his bottom lip, tensing as his father stood next to him and attempted to take hold of the arm. The following second he allowed his arm to be taken from behind his back, the futility of resisting obvious to him.

0

L glanced over a sheet of paper held daintily between his finger and thumb as he picked up another from a pile on the table in front of him. His dark, heavily lined eyes read over the information printed on the sheets and his eyes softened, lips frowning.

_'It is as Yue said, the only evidence against Taeku Takashima was his confession - and considering the information here, that he had a ward in his care . . . '_ L placed the first sheet back down and picked up another; he stared at this one awhile, deep in thought. Beside him Watari wheeled in a dessert tray and began placing tea and treats on a small table free of papers.

"Ryuzaki, the others might not have noticed you didn't give a yes or no response to Yagami-san's question earlier, but . . . . " Watari glanced at the table across the room where the rest of the Taskforce members searched through papers for more clues on Kira; after a moment he continued in his lowered voice. "Did you or did you not inform Yue about you, the investigation, and his brother?"

_'Taeku's ward is unnamed on this sheet, but it was most likely Yue.'_ L chewed on his thumb, then turned his head toward Watari. "I did not need to inform Yue of anything, he has a mind as sharp as his brother's." The detective turned back to the sheet of paper he held, attentive eyes absorbing the information incessantly. _'The information about the loaded bullets and the fatal bullet only having fingerprints not matching Taeku's while the rest of the room and such had been wiped clean - including the fallen casting of the bullet that killed the victim - it proves someone else loaded the gun. Essentially . . . .'_

"Ryuzaki, you will not be able to mislead me about what you revealed to Yue with those sort of responses." Watari sighed and waited beside L until the detective placed the papers down and turned toward him.

"It is not that I am attempting to mislead, it is just you are not asking the right questions. The question you asked is if I told Yue about things, and the answer to that is no, I did not. Now if you asked if Yue knows about me, the investigation, and my suspicions, then the answer is yes, he does."

The old man blinked, thought a moment, then stared at L with slightly widened eyes.

"How does Yue-san know if you did not inform him? He just returned to Japan today and couldn't have found out that much about things on his own. There . . . There is something you are keeping from me and the taskforce, what . . . ."

L tilted his head, eyes aimed at the pile of papers on the table though focused on nothing tangible. His hands he placed on his kneecaps as he contemplated his answer. His cheeks pinked slightly.

"I trust you not to share this with anyone, Watari. It seems Yue had . . . Yue was the one I spent that night with in America two years ago. Because of that . . . Because he figured I was over 18 then, he guessed I wasn't a first year college student." L spoke, his face pressed against his legs folded against his chest. He noted Watari's briefly surprised expression out of the corner of his eye, saw the questions forming in the old man's face, but he continued without waiting. "During our conversation I discovered the reason he is against Kira, and due to my deductions then and Yue's deduction that I was over 18 two years ago, Yue was able to figure out who I was. Of course, his own efforts to investigate Kira prior to returning to Japan must have helped him make an accurate profile on Kira himself. The most interesting part is, he didn't seem shocked at the idea that Light is a Kira suspect."

"Ryuzaki, Yue . . . . "

"He was reluctant to believe it, and is planning to prove Light's innocence with his investigation, but he wasn't shocked. Which is probably due to the fact that he knows his brother's personality and views on justice. And Yue would know his brother's intellectual prowess. Truthfully, Yue's return could be either disastrous or essential to solving the case and catching Kira - it depends on his views of justice and loyalty."

"All right, Ryuzaki, but if Yue-san is the one from that night in the States . . . two years ago he was only 16! Ryuzaki, that was statutory -"

"I know that, Watari. And I wondered myself how I could've been tricked by his fake-ID that night - the moment after Yagami-san left to see his family I inquired about it with the Identification Office in charge of that State's IDs. It turns out Yue was able to trick _them_ with false information to give him a real ID."

Watari blinked and exhaled slowly as he shook his head. "That may exempt you from a charge since you had valid reason to believe he was over 18, but if Yagami-san or the other officers ever found out -"

" . . . There is no reason for them to find out, it was 2 years ago and will remain a past event. I have no desire to jeopardize solving this case by becoming involved with my suspect's twin." L picked up a spoon and a teacup from the dessert tray, placed both on a paperless spot on the table and poured some tea. "I desire to focus on the investigation of Kira now, past events are past events." He noted Watari's brief nod as the old man sighed and bustled over to the other officers with a tray of coffee.

_'Yue-kun . . . Um.'_

0

Later on that night:

Light stared at the blank, open page of the death note, the image of Yue's arm burned into his thoughts. All those scars along the pale forearm, most that seemed at least a year old, and then those recent semi-healed cuts - Light gritted his teeth as he struggled to keep the memories from 5 years ago at bay. He closed his eyes, arms crossed in front of him, in an effort to at least control the anger brewing inside him.

'_Hirose, if only I could see your face before you die, yet I can't…not until I get rid of L….I will not just have you die of an illness - to get used to the idea of death….what you did….'_

Light leaned back in his chair and opened his eyes, his face looking up at the ceiling. Behind him he listened to Ryuk munching on the apples he was able to get for the Shinigami. He focused on that sound, mentally counting how many bites the Shinigami took to eat each apple to distract himself from his anger. Ever since the Lind L. Tailor incident he'd determined never to use the death note when not calm - now that L suspected him, he had to be extra careful.

'_Yue….I couldn't even tell where the cuts from your suicide attempt 5 years ago were, you cut so much since then….I….damn, looks like tonight is not a night I can use the death note since the only name and face I'll be able to think of is Hirose's.' _Light inhaled then exhaled as he uncrossed his arms and then closed the death note, placing it back in its hidden compartment.

0

Souichiro tentatively brought his hand up to knock on Yue's bedroom door. The information he'd found out, about that homeroom teacher, festered in his thoughts. Inside his mind and heart waged a war between the need to question Yue about it to confirm what L implied, and the dread of an answer he never wanted to hear. Deeper inside him swirled into a ball was the urge to kill the teacher himself, to rip the truth from the teacher's own lips. The desire and idea swam through his thoughts and as he stood outside Yue's bedroom door he understood exactly how family members of a victim felt. He truly understood the desire and appreciation they had for Kira's methods.

'_I shouldn't even be thinking this, but….if I….if I….' _He shook away the thought and turned toward the door leading to the shower and tub.

_Yue lay unconscious outside of the tub, leaning on the edge with his arms placed under the water. Water that was a rich shade of crimson. The thirteen year old's scrawny form clothed only with a pair of underwear - the water started to spill out of the tub._

"_Yu…." Souichiro rushed to the tub and pulled Yue away from the water. The teen's limp form fell against his chest as the numerous cuts continued bleeding. "Yue!"_

_Behind him he heard Sachiko cry out, and then felt her pull Yue into her own arms - it took only seconds for him to rush to the phone and call an ambulance, the whole time struggling not to break down._

"Yue." He pressed his forehead against his youngest son's bedroom door, his throat dry as the memory consumed him. During the ride in the ambulance that time, holding Sachiko to him while the paramedics kept Yue stabilized, he'd questioned 'why?' Why did Yue attempt such a thing? Why would he feel the need to - what had been so wrong that he felt that was the only way?

Seeing the young boy lying unconscious on the hospital bed, the IV attached to his arm and heavy bandages around his wrists, Souichiro had reached the conclusion that it'd been his fault. The idea that he'd missed some vital clue, had missed the important signs of Yue's pain stuck fast in his thoughts. And Yue's second suicide attempt a mere 2 days after he was discharged after the first one only helped to solidify that idea.

Now, lingering in front of his youngest son's bedroom door with the image of those fresh cuts on Yue's arms from earlier that day engraved in his thoughts, Souichiro felt physically ill. His body shook as the implications about what that teacher did to Yue echoed in his ears and brain - the idea one that created more guilt inside him.

_'If only I'd been able to notice and help Yue then - I should've noticed and protected him. There were signs - Yue started to slip behind in school, not by simply a few points but by fully disregarding school work, and then even the entrance exams for High School. Damn it! Then he punched that teach-' _Souichiro's eyes widened as his mind made the connection and he felt his blood race through his veins. _'The teacher he punched was _that_ homeroom teacher! God! And I grounded him then for disrespecting . . . that scoundrel teacher . . .that . . . .'_

0

Yue paused and glanced at his locked bedroom door as he opened his window; he waited until he heard footsteps walking away and then he shifted his eyes to the tree growing next to his window. Exiting through his bedroom window, Yue reached for the closest tree branch and clung tightly to it; the next second he allowed his legs to leave their perch on the windowsill. His bare-except-for-socks feet stopped his swing before he hit the trunk with his torso - next he swung for a few seconds, stretching himself as close to the ground as possible before jumping down.

After landing noiselessly in the yard he took out the shoes he hid in his pockets and put them on. Then he quickly re-checked his pockets for the money and memo pads he needed. Noting their presence, he swift and soundlessly left the yard and began his trek from the house.

'_Sorry mom, dad, but I _am_ investigating tonight whether aniki wants me to or not. And with a Kira suspect living under the same roof, it is not _sane _to investigate from home.'_


	12. Investigation

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 11

Sitting huddled at a computer in the net-cafe, Yue searched through Japanese News articles, categorizing them mentally. Those he determined that L would investigate and categorize as Kira-related, he skipped - instead focusing on those L would dismiss as not Kira. Many of those deaths - involving criminals dying seemly natural or logical deaths he measured unlikely to be connected to Kira, especially any such death that resulted in injury or death to a 3rd party.

'_If Kira could cause someone to attack another, he would've killed L already. Or picked a different means of killing those FBI agents. There's a low chance that he is hiding such an ability in order to deceive, but L is his biggest threat and it is highly likely he would use such an ability if he had it to kill L. Therefore it is safe to assume Kira can't cause people to kill.'_

Yue picked up the Styrofoam cup of coffee next to him and took a sip, the temperature of it keeping him from gulping it down. He placed it back down as he scanned another electronic newspaper page.

'_If I take the idea that "Kira can only kill with heart attacks" as based solely on assumption and no proof, and then take the related idea that "Kira may be able to kill by other means, but hasn't" as based on incomplete evidence - I am left with the need to prove that Kira does not use other means for killing.'_

Yue spotted the link to the article he wanted and clicked on it, the computer screen quickly loading the article's words and photo.

'_A criminal with prior arrests…wanted for attempted robbery….who was on the run. Hijacks a bus, hallucinates, runs out of the bus and is killed in an accident. Truly this - if I take from the fact that Kira can control the time of death that it is possible that Kira can control actions prior to death as well - this death, if it had ended in a heart attack, could all be attributed to Kira. Especially since there was no motive for this criminal to highjack a bus, and that doing so alone is guaranteed to end in failure. I must investigate this further.'_

Yue jotted down some notes in his composition notebook, the essential words encoded in a mix of numbers and scrambled English. He took a few more sips of his slightly cooler coffee and then clicked on a few other links of suspicious criminal deaths. He jolted down notes - including names and places - for each, his eyes narrowing with sleep. Yawning, his eyes glanced at the computer clock in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, the headline of a small article drawing his attention.

'_An unidentified man found dead from a heart attack on a side street, with a butcher knife that had his fingerprints on the handle found nearby…this…this doesn't seem related since it's obviously wasn't a known criminal but….that knife with fingerprints matching the dead man's on the handle…it could mean nothing but could also mean the man had plans to commit a crime….'_

"This…if it is Kira….could help prove Light's innocence, since there is no way he could've known about this man. We don't even live near the place the body was found." Yue began jotting down more notes, but instead switched to printing out a copy of the article. "I must check future articles for more information. If I can prove people died by Kira's power that Light could not have known about -"

Yue leaned back in the chair and stretched, blinking away the sleep from his eyes as he checked the computer's clock. 1:42AM. He stifled back a yawn and closed out of the News sites, only a few seconds passed as he gathered his notes and papers - one sheet falling out of the pile and onto the floor.

Half-asleep caramel eyes scanned it - it was simply a few notes jotted down about criminal deaths that occurred just days prior to the FBI agents' deaths; the essential information written in a code he created. Yet his eyes widened then narrowed with thought. As he picked up the paper his gaze locked back on the computer screen, and he reopened the web browser after placing the papers in his pocket.

"It's been a few years since I received a reply, but . . . ." He spoke softly, voice trailing off as he entered a web address and waited for the page to load. The clock in the lower right hand corner on the screen changed to 1:45AM as the fully loaded page awaited his gaze.

Chewing on his bottom lip, he typed in his user and password, opening up the private blog and web-page. The last entry he'd posted was from before Kira appeared, and it merely stated that he'd hoped for a reply from the only one who ever read his blog. The only person to ever figure out the pass-code needed to access his posts.

The clocked changed to 1:46AM as he blinked and focused on the message box, the word NEW in scarlet brightly next to the word message followed by the number one.

_'A new message . . . Posted on . . . let's see, January 20th, this year. It's from . . . yes, it's from him -'_

"I hadn't received a reply from him since July 13 of '02. . . ." Yue swallowed and clicked the link to open the message, disbelief gnawing at him until he saw the inscribed-in-code message. He blinked before focusing on the message, able to easily decipher the code of his own creation. His skin paled and eyes widened as he read it; he swallowed again lips pursed in unexpected anger.

_'No. It couldn't . . . . It . . . .'_

"Taeku wasn't the only one Kira got . . . I - damn it. Two people now, two people I knew have become victims of his."

_'I sure hope aniki isn't Kira, because I swear I'll . . . .' _He closed his eyes, the ring-tone of his cell phone cutting through his thought-trail. Calming himself, Yue answered the phone without bothering to look at the caller ID - he recognized the ring-tone. It was a friend from the States, the one who told him to forget about Taeku.

"Hello, Ten. Did you get what I asked for? Good, send it to my email and . . . There's something else I need you to look into . . . ." Yue's eyes gleamed from the light of the computer screen, his thoughts focused as he told his friend what he wanted done.

0

Light clenched his fist as he stood next to his bedroom door, eyes narrowed lips pressed together. Ryuk's laughter behind him irritating - the Shinigami had woken him up with its laughing, and had revealed when pressed that Yue had snuck out.

_'How do I deal with this now? I can't sleep knowing he's out investigating, but if I'm the first one to discover he's missing . . . it'll make me seem suspicious. Damn it.'_

"Light, how about getting me some apples now since you're up?"

The brown haired teen simply glared at the Shinigami, expression enough to silence Ryuk who backed away. An handful of seconds passed before Light carried himself back to the bed and sat down on the mattress. He massaged his forehead with his left hand, mentally solving some of the math problems from the textbooks to calm himself.

The time dragged by so slow. Silence suffocating now that Ryuk had stopped his laughter and had decided to relax. Light felt his palms become sweaty and his chest tighten before realizing the similarities of the present to a night 5 years ago.

_"Light, Sayu. We have something to tell you. Concerning Yue..." Souichiro glanced at Sachiko, who held Sayu in her arms. He steadied himself as he looked up at his elder son's face._

_Light stood motionless as he awaited his father's words, thoughts racing about the razorblades he'd collected from Yue's drawer. His heart pounded terribly in his chest, threatening to break free and abandon him._

"_Yue...he had an accident and is in the hospital." _

_Chocolate brown eyes caught the brief glance his parents gave each other at the word accident, his lips asking what kind of accident before he could prevent them. The moment the words 'car accident' graced his ears, along with the location where it occurred, Light knew._

'That busy street has a pedestrian bridge over it, Yue would've taken that if he was in a hurry...he just got out of the hospital two days ago from his other 'accident'...and those razors...'

"_...he's in intensive care right now and is unconscious, your mother and I called your schools. You can take tomorrow off to..."_

_Light shook his head and broke away from his father's outstretched arms; he raced upstairs to his room and locked the door. Trembling, he jumped onto his bed and buried himself under the blanket, eyes burning with the tears he struggled to keep from falling._

_+ 'I hate you, I wish you'd just go away. My life would've been a whole lot better if you'd never been born, Yue!'+_

"_I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean..."_

_+ 'I suppose that's true, huh...' Light watched as Yue turned away, the response mind-numbing.+_

"_I'm sorry. Please don't die, Yue. I didn't mean it."_

_Tears drenched the 13 year old's cheeks and pillow as the body curled into a ball shook. He heard his dad's voice at his door, and the loud knock; he sobbed harder._

"_Light, please come out. I...your mother is going to the hospital with Sayu. I'll stay here until you're ready."_

_Light shook harder and swallowed back another sob – teary eyes peeked out from under the blanket and locked on the box hidden next to his trash basket. The place where the blades he took from Yue's drawer were. Holding back a breath, Light left the bed and dived toward the basket; he ripped open the box and eyed the sharp blades with teary eyes._

_He brought one to his own small wrist, his hand shaking too terribly to press down and cut. Instead it dropped from his hand during the next sob escaping his throat – he flinched as it pierced the top of his bare foot. Tiny and shallow like a paper-cut, the resulting wound didn't hurt but simply formed a crimson line._

Ryuk tilted his head, eyes showing surprise as he watched a tear slide down Light's face; the teen's panic attack gradually fading. He approached cautiously, bewildered by the strange behavior that seemed to start mere moments after Light closed his eyes while sitting up in his bed. The teen opened his eyes suddenly to the noise outside his room – the sound of something dropping. Light glanced at his clock, reading 3:01 AM. The next second he rushed to his door and opened it.

Yue blinked up at Light, his form crouched as he stooped down to pick up the notepads he dropped. Slowly Yue smiled sheepishly and stood up, stuffing his notes in his pockets.

"What are you doing, Yue?" Light inquired, unable to mention anything about knowing Yue had sneaked out. He cursed himself as he noticed the dampness of his cheek and struggled not to wipe at it. The shadows obscured his face enough that Yue wouldn't notice.

Yue paused for a moment, feeling a brief chill, before placing his hand behind his head.

"I goofed. I forgot my door was locked from the inside and now can't get back in."

"...you sneaked out. For how long?"

"Hh...C'mon aniki, just let me crash in your room for a few hours. Enough with the third degree, I'm about to zonk out."

Light thought a moment before allowing Yue to enter his room, stern expression on his face. He ignored the surprised look on Yue's face.

"I will not keep it from dad that you sneaked out. But it is better to do it when he wakes up in the morning rather than in the middle of the night."

"Yeah. I guess." Yue glanced around the room, and then at the single blanket on the bed. He bit his inner cheek, almost voicing his inquiry before sighing. His eyes locked on the empty expanse of floor between bed and desk. "I guess I'll just..."

"Bed." Light pointed, holding out another blanket he'd taken from the hallway closet while Yue had hesitated. "I will not be held responsible for you getting a cold sleeping on the floor."

"...thanks, aniki." Yue lay down on the bed, wrapped in the blanket Light had handed him, his arms cradled under his head for a pillow. Sleep quickly overtook him.

Light stood at the side of the bed, lips about to form the sentence 'you take the pillow' – he blinked when he realized Yue was deeply asleep; he glanced at his desk behind him.

_'For a moment I thought he simply wanted to use this as a ploy to inspect my room while I slept, but...'_ Light lied down on his bed, glancing at Yue wrapped snugly in the blanket on the left side. Quietly, the older twin placed his head on the pillow and brought his blanket to his chin. _'I guess Yue is pretty exhausted...he probably came home from abroad so I guess jet-lag finally kicked in. Anyway, I'll be alert enough to notice if he wakes up before morning.'_

0

L grimaced as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, the beginning of an headache gnawing at his temples. He stirred his sugary tea absentmindedly as Watari wheeled in a tray of cakes and icecream. Behind him he heard the Taskforce members yawning and stretching as they awoke. The clock on the wall showed the time as 5:42am, the seconds ticking by.

"Yes. Yes. Please look into it." L concluded the phone call then turned to Watari. The old man paused as he read L's expression, eyes widening slightly.

"What is it, Ryuzaki?"

"At 3 this morning, Japan time, someone hacked into a computer at FBI headquarters. Furthermore, it was discovered that the Japanese Metropolitan Police headquarters had computers hacked into yesterday evening."

Watari's eyes widened, his lips opening for another question when Matsuda's voice piped up. The clumsy officer had been searching through the dessert tray for a wake-up snack and had overheard.

"Huh? What? Hacked? What got hacked?" wide-eyed Matsuda's words attracted the attentions of the other officers, who then stared at L expectantly. The detective grumbled unhappily before he turned to face the present Taskforce members.

"Ryuzaki, what happened? You're not trying to hide anything from us, are you?" Aizawa glared at the detective, irritable from just waking up.

"I'd rather have waited until Yagami-san came back later today and I had time to gather more information about it..." L tiltled his head, lips slightly frowning and dark eyes glancing at his reflection in his cup of tea.

"Ryuzaki..."

"It seems between 10:30 yesterday evening and just around 3 this morning, there were two major incidents of hacking by a hacker referring to himself as TenOne." L picked up his spoon and stirred the tea, making ripples that distorted his reflection. "The first incident occurred yesterday evening and the target was the Japanese police headquarters...all files on criminals and currently open cases were accessed by the hacker. The second incident occurred at 3 this morning and the target was the FBI headquarters." He took the spoon out of the sugar rich liquid, allowed a few drops to fall from the spoon back into the tea, and then placed the spoon down. "This second incident is the most bothersome since the only info hacked was about cases I collaborated with the FBI to solve."

"But then...couldn't this be Kira's work? To find out more about you and the investigation?"

L frowned, noticing the sense of expectation mixed with relief spread among the taskforce members. 'If the hacking was Kira's work, then suspicion on Light could be lessened' – that was the thought-line he read on each face.

'_They haven't grasped that this could be Yue's doing. Though Yue could glean information about the case by other means...but hacking information about prior cases I solved is just too strange. What does Yue wish to find? Or just as important, who is Yue working with? The city the hacker was traced back to is in America. Yue could not have done it, but it is too coincidental if he is not behind it.' _L sipped some of his tea, ignoring the conversation buzzing among the officers. _'This hacker calling himself TenOne must be found. Preferably before he gives the information he's hacked to the one he's working with.'_


	13. Deception

**Futatsu no Tsuki**

**Chapter 12**

The morning sun shined brightly just a short stretch from the horizon, rising slowly as clouds coasted by. Souichiro leaned back in the driver's seat of his car after pulling onto a side street and parking. He sighed then turned to Yue sitting in the passenger seat. The teen wore a short sleeve shirt with fishnet arm warmers covering the white bandages on his arms; legs clothed in deep black jeans.

"Yue." Souichiro paused, massaging his temple after taking off his glasses. Placing them back on his face he continued. "Light told me you snuck out last night and returned around 3 this morning."

"Yes, I did."

"Mind telling me what for?" Souichiro focused his eyes on the dashboard, commanding himself to not mention knowing his youngest son was investigating Kira. L did not mention informing Yue about things yesterday, and though the words burned in his throat to tell Yue not to investigate, he could not risk mentioning it first. As he waited for his second son's response, he recalled Matsuda's call from earlier that morning - about the hacking of Police headquarters and FBI headquarters. L had taken the phone from Matsuda halfway through the latter's rambling and had told Souichiro to find out if Yue had been out last night and if so, where.

Yue turned towards his father, eyebrows raised thoughtfully - his rested brain considering all possible responses. Glancing at his reflection in the side mirror, he closed his eyes briefly as he settled for the direct response.

"Didn't L already mention it? I wish to investigate Kira, which I started to last night." Yue's eyelids flickered as he witnessed his father's quick intake of breath and surprised-dressed lips and eyebrows. _'Guess this is proof Ryuga is L and not some attractive nut job.'_

Souichiro felt his blood pressure and temperature rise as Yue's words and their meaning lay themselves before him.

"He told you about things? About the investigation? About him?" The police chief squeezed the steering wheel, remembering L's words from yesterday - how the socially inept detective had skirted around answering whether he told Yue or not. Succeeding in deceiving the taskforce without actually lying. "….he could've at least mentioned it to me. And he said he wouldn't pit Yue against Light….was that a lie?"

Caramel eyes darted from the dash board to the side mirror as Yue listened to his father's last sentence, realizing how irritated Souichiro had to be to forget he'd been talking to Yue. The younger Yagami twin pulled some stray strands of black hair behind his ears, providing an unhindered view of his face as he answered.

"Father. I am investigating to prove aniki innocent as I believe and hope he is. Furthermore, technically L did not tell me about himself - I figured it out during our conversation due to me by chance alone meeting him abroad two years ago for a brief encounter, as well as some things he mentioned during the conversation yesterday."

"Yue….you….what?" Souichiro's mind reeled under the onslaught of his second son's revelation. Such a direct, truthful answer after so long working with a detective intent on keeping secrets was refreshing and awkward. It took him a few seconds to process the full meaning of the words. "Yue….you….met L before? But….how…..when….I….why didn't he mention it before….?"

"It happened a short time after the Los Angeles BB murder case. It wasn't quite such a memorable encounter that one would expect a detective like him to bother remembering. It took him until just after we started talking yesterday to remember meeting me before." Yue felt the part truthful, part deceptive explanation slip from his tongue, his caramel eyes locked on his father's face.

Souichiro absorbed the information quietly, brain working unceasingly as he squeezed the steering wheel once more, then slowly released it. He almost gave into relief as the anger lightened, but once the other information was processed he realized the meaning of Yue's first sentence.

"Yue, did you suspect before that Light…."

"Father, no. I simply decided that Kira would have to be someone with a genius IQ if he could elude L's grasp for so long. That detective is known for solving most cases fairly quickly. Therefore I planned to investigate high school and college students who scored high on exams first. Investigating aniki is simply because all avenues must be considered." Yue waited, sitting up straight in the passenger seat, arms placed in relaxed positions as he studied his father's face for signs of disbelief. As the police chief's face expressed relief, Yue shifted his eyes to the dashboard.

'…_.oh how truthful words can deceive….though like I suspected, L must not inform the officers working with him of everything he thinks or does. Or else there would be less likelihood I could avoid being questioned too much about what I said.'_

"If we're going to have that special father-son reunion breakfast you mentioned before you must drop me off at To-oh, we need to get back on the road now, father."

0

Light grimaced as he left the lecture hall and took out his cell phone, brown eyes quickly noting the time - a little before 10:30. He glanced out the nearest window overlooking the University's entrance gate, immediately scoffing at the thought and turning away.

'_Dad would've brought Yue in before now, so now Yue is probably speaking with the academic advisor about what classes he should take. Though….' _Light strode towards the university's main building which housed the guidance center, responding politely to the various greetings of his fellow students along the way - only half paying attention to the whispers among them about his perfect score on the entrance exam. Until, that is, he heard their whispers concerning Yue - he bit his inner cheek as he absorbed their words without showing he was listening.

"Isn't that transfer student even smarter though? He got a perfect score on the test given to transfer students, which is much harder than the regular entrance exam and has a higher cut off score."

"Yeah, that's amazing. More incredible - did you hear the transfer student's name? It's Yue Yagami - and is written with the exact same kanji as Light Yagami's."

"What? No way! How?"

"I thought it peculiar too, especially since they look similar, so I checked out the high school and junior high school written in Light Yagami's student profile - Yue's only provided the name of the university he transferred over from abroad."

"You were able to look that up, how?"

"My dad's an advisor here, anyway, guess what I found out. Light Yagami and Yue Yagami are brothers - twins actually since they were in the same class during junior high. For some reason however, Yue Yagami went to school abroad for high school…."

"What? Are they from a family of geniuses or something?"

Light reached the door to a nearby lavatory as another student joined the first two in gossip; this student had a mischievous glint in her eyes as she opened her mouth. With a jolt, Light froze, he'd recognized her from junior high - she'd been one of the most prolific gossipers in the school.

"Oooh, you want to know about the Yagami brothers? Well, I went to the same junior high and guess what? Yue Yagami got expelled for punching a teacher. And he also skipped out on high school entrance exams. After that he got sent to some relative abroad or something."

"Oh, so he's a genius delinquent? Wow, sounds cool. You think he'd go out with me?"

"Haha, you'll have to ask him, who knows? Anyway, here's something even juicier - the teacher Yue assaulted was recently arrested for having sex with his students."

"Whoa. Do you think Yue….."

Light quickly entered the men's lavatory and locked himself in one of the stalls, heart pounding as the idea of what that homeroom teacher did to Yue returned to his thoughts. Inside him, the jealousy he felt when hearing that Yue received a perfect score on a harder test drowned under the guilt mixed with anger at not realizing what Hirose had done.

"I'm the older brother. Damn it. I should've protected him. I should've known something was wrong. Fuck!" Light struck his fist against the stall wall, surprising Ryuk as the shinigami hovered around the sinks. The human habits of bathing and using restrooms being things he found uninteresting and gross, Ryuk generally waited out of sight whenever Light bathed or used the rest room. Now however, Light's uncharacteristic outburst attracted him to peek in on the teen.

"Whatcha doing, Light?"

"Ryuk. Shut up." The brunette growled, low enough for only the shinigami to hear, his fist still pressed against the wall. The expression on his face chilled and stopped Ryuk cold - slowly however, Light regained composure and exhaled. "I can't believe how much Yue's return has affected me. But I need to set priority to Ryuga instead. Once L is dealt with I can do the worst to Hirose. His actions nearly killed Yue 5 years ago…."

'_Though wouldn't things be simpler if Yue had died?' _The thought crept up before Light could prevent it. He showed no outward signs as it raced through his mind. _'I wouldn't be faced with the possibility of having to write his name in the death note, thus endangering myself, if he'd already died.'_

0

Yue stretched as he exited the academic advisor's office, courses set for the first semester; the advance courses held off until the second semester. He yawned and stepped through the door leading outside, sleep soft eyes gazing at the sapphire sky littered with clouds above. It struck him that the expanse of sky seemed like an ocean dotted with fluffy pillows, and his body yearned for more sleep.

_'I should've skipped yesterday. Jetlag is a pain.' _Once more he stretched, tired eyes searching the campus grounds from the entrance. _'If I remember correctly, the building housing the independent study classrooms is on the east side of campus. Now that would be passed that group of trees and benches to the left.'_

Legs set on their purpose it took only a handful of minutes to get there, and he opened the door prior to glancing around. His heart thumped gleefully when he heard a familiar voice greet him from a few feet away.

"Yue-san, I need to speak with you privately." L approached the teen, motioning Yue to follow him toward an emptied but public clearing. Yesterday's kissing bout revealed how dangerous private areas were with the teen. It took only point three seconds however for Yue to pull L into one of the empty self-study classrooms; the teen locking the door with his left hand while his right arm hooked the detective against his chest. His hungry lips taking L's mouth into a bruising kiss, Yue forced the detective back against one of the room's study tables. The tiredness of his body vanished as the eighteen year old felt the older man responding to his ministrations.

L trembled as he felt Yue's right hand snake under his pristine white shirt, lithe fingers trailing up his spine. The 18 year old's left hand trailed up his front, stopping at the detective's right nipple. Gasp cut off by warm, thin lips crashing down on his, L moaned as a hot tongue slipped inside his mouth.

"Ah." Yue breathed as he felt the detective's body respond to his onslaught; the heat spread from between his legs as he pushed L onto one of the tables. Hungry lips moving to L's neck, Yue leaned closer against the older man, pressing their bodies together. L's skin and hair smelled sweet, as though he bathed himself in sugar, and so too was the taste of the paper white skin.

"Yue . . . . We shouldn't really . . . ." L panted, his sex-starved body unused to the onslaught of hands, mouth, and the groin rubbing against his. He closed his dark eyes, grabbing onto Yue as the 18 year old licked his left nipple, teasing the rosy nub before engulfing it with warm lips. "Ah."

0

Light glared at the clock on the left side wall of the lecture hall as he sat down, the short break before the next class hour wasted searching for Yue around the school advisor's office. He pursed his lips and composed himself as a student once the class began, though he only half paid attention to the lecture - most of what the professor was teaching he already knew.

'_What a waste, this guy is just repeating verbatim what is in the book. If I didn't need to keep up appearances, I could be searching for Yue and finding out if he knows anything. It would be simpler if Yue had to attend class right now, but the professor for his 11am class today is out until next week. That makes this the perfect time for L to meet with him if he hasn't already.'_

The brown-haired eighteen year old flipped open his cell phone away from the professor's eye and found the number and email of Yue's cell. Prior to Yue waking that morning, he'd used the cell in Yue's pocket to send himself a message, thus providing him with the younger Yagami's number. Further he had scanned through the call history of the caramel eyed teen's cell phone and found most of it deleted. He did, however read a strange message from someone named Tenichi, that simply stated that Yue was correct about some man being a stalker and that Tenichi would call him later. The strangeness of the message, Light figured, mostly came from not knowing what it referred to - it could be something from abroad that Yue had gotten involved in, and thus unrelated to Kira. Yet there was the way Tenichi referred to Yue in the message - 7123 - just that four digit number, that piqued Light's curiosity.

'_What does 7123 mean? Some code referring to Yue's name? But why would he need a code? And how does a four digit number refer to Yue which is written with one kanji, or two kana characters. Even if written in romaji it's still only three letters….our family name doesn't fit either….so maybe it refers to an alias Yue used while a runaway?'_

Light stared ahead, seeming like he was interested in the professor's speech, while he thought about the message and its meaning - even if had nothing to do with his brother's investigation on Kira, he had to be sure.

'_I'll send him a text to meet me for lunch by the independent-study classrooms. Then I'll ask him about the message and if Ryuga told him anything. I also have to seek out a meeting with Ryuga again, though I figure Ryuga will seek me out some time later today himself.'_

After Light finished and sent his text, he closed his phone and placed it back in his pocket - the ringer on silent. Once class was over he'd check it for Yue's response.

0

Yue lay next to L on the table, winding down from his ecstasy - shirt and arm warmers discarded somewhere on the floor, pants unbuttoned and unzipped. His caramel eyes studied the detective's rising and falling chest, then shifted to the pale face - those onyx black irises hidden behind half-closed lids made the otherwise unexpressive man seem human.

Pleasure gradually left the raven haired man's face, his breaths slowed to their normal pace. Slowly his eyelids fluttered completely open, the capacity of his brain to think returning as the thick fog of pleasure melted away. Sharp shivers ran along his spine as he felt gentle hands wiping off his stomach with tissues. His eyes widened then narrowed.

"Yue. This cannot happen again. It isn't right to have such a questionable relationship - you are my suspect's brother after all. As well as the son of an officer working on the Taskforce..."

The gentle hands paused, resuming their cleanup after Yue's lips became a thin line with a slight upwards curve. The 18 year old tossed the tissue into a nearby wastebasket, then zipped and buttoned up his jeans, noting L doing the same in his peripheral vision. Quietly he stopped the detective from picking up the long sleeve white shirt hanging on one of the chairs.

"Why? I could be an ally."

"..." L glanced briefly at the white bandages wrapped tightly around Yue's arms, eyes unreadable. "... Yue, when I find evidence to convict your brother, he will be executed. It will be problematic to have you as an ally. You're trying to prove he's innocent..."

"And you don't want it to become like Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution, huh?"

L missed the slight bitterness in Yue's voice and simply nodded, moving out of the teen's reach.

"Then you understand." The detective swiftly put his shirt back on, back turned to Yue who leaned against the edge of the table. He dug into his pocket and took out his cell phone, holding it with his finger and thumb. _'It's close to when Watari will be here to pick me up. I didn't get to talk with Light at all today.'_

The detective gasped as Yue suddenly wrapped his thin, bandaged arms around L's shoulders; his heart thumped in his chest as thin lips whispered in his ear.

"What if I don't want to understand?"

"Yue, I'll use force if necessary. Let go." L replied, voice carrying a harsh tone that froze Yue.

The teen swallowed and lowered his arms to his sides, turning away with his gentle eyes covered by his dyed black hair. He bit down on his bottom lip as he heard L's footsteps approach the door, the sound of it opening pulled his next words from his throat.

"It's likely someone else I knew was killed by Kira." Yue picked up his shirt and arm-warmers, schooling his face into an emotionless mask worthy of any of his brother's. "...and I will not forgive the ones responsible for his death."

L fought the whim to linger at the door or glance back at Yue, only superficially listening to the teen's parting words.


	14. Loneliness

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 13

Light's eyes widened as he watched L exit the building housing the independent study classrooms, the detective not noticing him standing obscured by a group of trees. The brown haired college student studied L's retreating back, about to turn away himself until Yue exited through the same door.

_'Damn. Damn. They must have been talking, L must have told him - even if he merely hinted at things Yue would catch on.'_ Light gripped a frustrated fist around the handle of the bag his school books and notes were in. Suddenly his stomach clenched as sharp eyes studied Yue flipping open his cell phone and reading the messages sent with widened eyes.

Alert caramel eyes glanced up from the cell phone and quickly spotted Light, the face housing them oddly flushed.

_'Why is he so on edge? Even if L told him . . . .'_ Light approached Yue, eyebrows raised. He froze when he saw the mark on his brother's neck, his recognition of it dimmed by disbelief. Yue's suddenly blank face with slightly reddened cheeks and the fidgety hand that attempted to cover the mark drove the truth through his disbelief. Chocolate eyes widened at Yue and then darted toward where L had gone. _'Did that guy just . . . . Did he and Yue . . . .'_

"Um. Aniki, uh . . . ." Yue read the question put forth by Light's expression and body language; he quickly grabbed Light's sleeve and dragged the slightly larger 18 year old away from the independent study building. "I think we should eat lunch somewhere else."

"Wha- somewhere else . . . ." Light glanced back at the door Yue had exited from, then blanched as he grabbed his younger twin's arm. "Yue, you did not just . . . ."

"Like I said we should eat somewhere else. And we should talk somewhere more appropriate for the conversation."

"Appropriate! Like you can say what is appropriate, you just . . . .you just. . . .what did you. . . . ?" Suddenly Light was engulfed in an icy anger, his eyes alighted with rage. The idea that the detective's plan was to secure Yue's loyalty by seduction scorched its mark on his thoughts. He attempted to escape Yue's grasp and hunt down the one calling himself Ryuga. "I'll teach that guy to take advantage of my brother. . . ."

Yue burst out laughing and let go of Light's arm, the sound dispelling his brother's sudden anger.

"'Take advantage?' Of me? Ha! It's more like I took advantage of him! He's so inexperienced…." Yue's laugh subsided and Light thought he saw a tinge of bitterness in the waning smile. It vanished as Yue stared straight into his eyes with a serious expression. "Aniki, don't tell anyone about this, okay? It's not going to happen again."

Light merely nodded and followed Yue toward the cafeteria, his calculating chocolate eyes studying the mark on the pale neck. It took only seconds after the truth settled comfortably in his thoughts for him to realize the damage he could deal to L if he'd revealed it to the taskforce. But he had to wait for the right time - Yue wasn't underage, even if it was only a couple months ago that he'd turned 18, so L couldn't be accused of statutory rape, thus Light had to keep the information secret until the time it would negatively affect L's credibility the most.

0

L sulked, his ears hurting from Watari chewing him out after the older man noticed the marks Yue left on him. Before arriving back at the hotel room where the taskforce waited, L had been forced to change into a shirt that covered the marks on his neck and into pants that weren't sweaty. He'd done so in another one of the rooms at the hotel - he'd always checked into more than one room at the hotels he stood at to make it more complicated in case anyone tried to track him - and listened to Watari's continued lecture.

The older man stopped only after L agreed that he wouldn't try to talk to Yue again without someone else around. To emphasize the necessity of the decision, Watari had refused to allow L any sweets for 5 hours. Torture considering that the detective hadn't had any sweets while at the university earlier.

L chewed on his thumb until the last minute of the 5 hours passed and looked expectantly at Watari - the taskforce members had been allowed by the detective to take a break from investigating while L formulated a new plan. In reality it was actually to keep them from wondering why the sweet loving detective was refused any sugared food by Watari - especially since his genius brain had to have sugar to run.

"The punishment period is over, and I will definitely not repeat the mistake of talking to Yue anywhere alone. So, Watari, will you bring me that triple chocolate cake I know is still in the kitchen? I really, really need the sugar….."

Watari sighed, hiding his smile as he nodded to the childlike detective's request - L acted like he always used to when punished for wrongdoing by being denied sweets. Of course L accepting the punishment without a fuss meant the detective at least partly agreed with it, and Watari had no doubt that L regretted what had happened earlier.

"….Yue initiated it, though I admit I didn't do much to stop him. I will not allow him another opportunity to do so again." L said as he dug into the cake Watari placed in front of him, taste buds relishing the delicacy. "It will mean I cannot keep track of Yue's investigation on Kira, but I cannot risk the taskforce finding out about what happened between us in the States."

'_Wait….is that what Yue wanted? For me to avoid him so he can investigate secretly? That…even if it is true I cannot do anything other than avoid being alone with him. That….I truly hope he doesn't decide to join Light, because battling two geniuses with intelligence similar to mine will be impossible.'_

0

"Tenichi, yeah. So I was right…and the name, who was….? Ah. Ok. No, I'll look into it myself. Thank you." Yue ended the phone call as he stared out his bedroom window, his hair newly dyed a rich shade of auburn and trimmed closer to ear length. He wore a sleeveless turtleneck that was a bright silver and fashioned similar colored arm warmers to completely cover the bandages around his arms. Legs clothed with rich black pants that clung snuggly without being too tight, he felt his spine tingle under a now familiar chill.

'_There is something here….something that hangs around aniki. Something that seems cold like death….' _Yue sat down at his desk without reacting to the chill, and thought about the other information Tenichi had sent him. Hacked from the police headquarters' files were images and information about each of the criminals killed by Kira so far, including all the data unreleased to the public. Including the messages sent to L by Kira.

-L, do you know, Shinigami eat nothing but apples?-

'_I hope it isn't true, but….considering the incredibleness of killing someone by just knowing their name and face, it could be possible for Shinigami to really exist….' _He pulled a stray strand of his hair behind his ear, and picked up a pencil from the metal container holding various writing utensils on his desk. Twirling it between his fingers, he leaned back in the brand-new wheeled and cushioned chair his parents had just bought him and closed his eyes in thought. _'Though it is certain that Kira needs a name and face to kill, what medium does he use? Does he just imagine the death? If so, why does he need a name when a face would be sufficient for the imagination? Does he have to speak the name while imagining the death? No, that's absurd - he'd be caught by now if that were so…..besides if he simply had to speak the name, misspellings wouldn't factor in at all. But names that were reported using the wrong kanji or spelling in the case of foreign names, while being pronounced correctly did not result in death. And they were criminals Kira would surely have killed by now.'_

Dusk descended neat and slowly outside his window as he grew sleepy, his arms cradled behind his head. The pencil dropped from his fingers as he nodded off, his deductions continuing even as he dropped into a subconscious, dream-state.

'…_.names…misspellings….surely writing them is….more likely…..that would require…..'_

His mother's shout wrenched him from his reverie, his heart thumping in his chest from both picking up on the anxiousness in her tone and the deduction that entered his thoughts just prior to being awoken.

"What…?" Yue shot up from his chair and into the hallway, blood freezing as his mother's words penetrated his ears. Hearing the bedroom down from his open, Yue glanced back at Light who stared at him pale-faced.

'_Dad….'_

'…_heart attack?'_

It took only a half second later for them to race down the stairs.

0

Souichiro opened his eyes as his oldest son entered his hospital room followed by the younger; already in the room crouching on a chair against the wall sat L, finger tapping his lip. Silence remained undisturbed until the two brothers neared their father's bedside and inquired about his health.

"It was just from stress, the doctor said. I've been unable to care for myself properly because of the case." Souichiro said in response to his eldest son's inquiry, while his eyes roamed over to his younger son. Eyes hidden behind shiny brown strands of hair, Yue didn't speak and simply stared at the bed's sky-blue blanket. The paleness of his face and the fidgeting of his fingers spoke for him - Souichiro read his youngest son's worry easily.

"Yue, aren't you going to say anything?" Light stared at his brother as the worry he'd felt for his father melted away, and instead a flame of superiority over his brother flared up. That he was able to act like a proper, concerned son at their father's bedside while Yue acted sullen seemed like a win against his twin.

"…." Yue bit down on his tongue, eyes narrowed behind his hair as thought upon thought cropped up. His true thought impossible to say and terrible to think, he mumbled instead a stereotypical phrase common during such occasions. _'Why did that thought crop up? It….how can I be a good son if….yet….If dad had died, by Kira's power, it would've lent proof that aniki cannot be Kira.'_

"Yue, are you all right?" Souichiro asked, leaning closer to see the teen's face. Within seconds, after caramel eyes looked up and settled on his form, his youngest son's demeanor changed.

"Wha -? I'm fine, dad, it's you who needs to be worried about. It's you in the hospital bed, lay down and rest. I'm all right." Yue pushed passed his brother to Souichiro's side, attempting to get his father to settle back down on the bed. The genuineness of his worry deeper than anything Light could express using words alone.

"Ha ha, you're acting like Sachiko. She wanted me to simply relax as well."

"It's advice you should take, father."

"I'll see about doing so, but first…." He turned his head toward L, further words unneeded as the detective quickly started speaking.

"I've approached you both already, as L - your father can confirm that I am that detective -" L paused as Souichiro nodded and two sets of eyes stared into his face. "….I'd like to have you both join the Kira investigation team, provided your father allows it."

Light blinked at the raven haired detective's words before his father's sigh pulled his attention back to the bed. When no protest passed from Souichiro's lips Light felt his stomach knot.

"I'd much prefer not to." Yue replied curtly, eyes cold as he glanced at L - the detective's words from earlier echoed in his thoughts._ 'You won't even entertain the notion that you could be wrong, L.'_

"Yue! If you investigate on your own, you'll be in more danger! If you must investigate…." Souichiro stared wide-eyed at his youngest son, parental fear dressing his eyes and lips.

'_Ah. So dad already knows Yue is investigating….' _Light felt the uneasiness lessen its knot in his stomach; his chocolate brown eyes calm as he turned to his brother.

"It is safer, Yue, to investigate with the taskforce. Plus, I'm certain they'll have more information than you can gather yourself."

"….aniki…." _'If you only knew….' _Yue averted his eyes to the bed as his most recent deduction flowed to the forefront of his thoughts - right before his mother's voice informed them of their father's heart attack, he figured out the only connection between names and misspellings that could exist.

A notebook. Kira used a notebook of some sort to kill. Misspellings only factor in when writing the name and to write one needed paper - which more likely would be bound together in a notebook than as loose-leaf.

'_I know what to look for, L doesn't….further if I told L right now he could get a warrant to search aniki's room….a notebook containing a list of names of Kira's victims….that'll be specific enough for a warrant especially if the warrant is requested by L.'_

"Aniki, father….I know you worry about me, but I must decline. At least for the time being. They say don't put your eggs all in one basket - if the unthinkable happens, and Kira is able to infiltrate the taskforce, I'd be in the same danger. If I investigate on my own the danger I face will not spill into the danger the taskforce faces."

"That is a valid point, Yue-san." L nodded in agreement, thumb at his lips. His large pupil eyes caught the suspicious gleam in Light's brown ones. He felt his heart jump as Light turned the same eyes to Yue. "Does Yagami-kun have an objection?"

"….you two must have talked a lot earlier today, for you to be on a first name basis already…."

"Aniki, Ryuga - L-san, simply mentioned referring to us both as 'Yagami-kun' would be confusing so I gave him permission to use my given name. I've spent much time abroad so being called by my given name sounds more natural now." Yue replied before L's brief hesitance could be detected - the raven-haired man didn't know their tryst had been discovered.

"Ah….I see."

'_Yagami-kun knows? That Yue and I….? Damn…we should NOT have done it on school grounds….'_


	15. Closer

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 14

Two Days Later

Widened eyes hidden behind heavy sunglasses gazed up at the newly built condominium while the brief midday breeze fluttered strands of the auburn hair surrounding a smooth skinned face. The breeze settled before hesitant legs took their first tentative step toward the structure, the glass doors opening automatically before them. Yue drew in a breath and gripped the backpack slung over his shoulder to still his hand's tremor.

'_This is where that stalker's intended victim lives…' _Yue's eyes searched the vicinity carefully from behind the sunglasses and the strands of his recently dyed auburn hair. The layout of the lobby portrayed itself similar to other apartment complexes, with carpeted floor and scarce decorations placed upon the walls - yet the color scheme and cleanliness bestowed a higher class aura upon the room. This place seemed perfect as housing for an up-and-coming model.

Clothed in pressed pants and the soft white dress shirt with ruffles down the front, Yue continued through the lobby, hesitation's hold dispelled as he reached the elevators. He breathed in deeply as he settled against the back wall of the elevator, pressing the number of the floor he desired.

'_If that stalker's death was due to the same power Kira has, then investigating Amane-san will be dangerous. Nothing about the stalker attacking anyone was reported, and since no foul play was suspected the information about him having a stalker-shrine for the model was suppressed by the model's agents and the police.'_

Yue fixed the sunglasses snuggly on his face and placed down his backpack, closing his eyes as his brief swallow betrayed his fear through his poker-face. If he made a misstep and got noticed, he could be killed - that danger filled his stomach with knots. Yet, death itself didn't scare him - twice in his life he had flat-lined - briefly after his second suicide attempt, and then one year later - and both times there came a strange calm. Death wasn't what terrified him - not his own at least.

'_There are two people I want to protect more than anything, if I mess up and die, how will I be able to help them? If I die, L will continue to hound aniki believing he's Kira until one or the other dies….and aniki, if he is Kira…if he is….'_

Yue shivered as the elevator stopped and the door slid open to the simple yet elegantly designed floor housing the model's apartment. The door almost slid shut again without him disembarking, it got to two inches space between the doors before he gritted his teeth, pressed the open door button, and stepped into the hallway.

0

L frowned, staring at the tea cup on the table arrayed with confectionary delights, his reflection in the amber fluid floated with each ripple passing over the surface. He refrained from sighing as the voice on the phone to his ear once more proclaimed that the number could not be reached and to try again or leave a message. Silently, he flipped shut the phone and placed it back in his pocket, tilting his head in a slightly despondent expression. This was reflected upon the tea's surface, and distorted by the ripples caused by his sighs into the cup.

'_Having Yue's cell-phone number is useless if he keeps it turned off. I must have a tracker and bug installed in his phone ASAP….Yagami-san may disagree about a listening device, but a tracker can help keep Yue safe….If only Yue had agreed to join the Taskforce's investigation….having him here would make sure we're never able to meet alone while providing me with opportunity to track his investigation.'_

Tilting his head to the other side, finger at his lips and eyes staring unblinkingly upon the sweets-covered table, L played with the smooth metal handle of his fork. He picked it up daintily with forefinger and thumb and gazed upon it - or rather at his contemplative reflection upon the shiny expanse. He frowned again as he distantly listened to the arrival of the taskforce officers through the hotel room door.

'…_.what did Yue mean when he said he wouldn't forgive those responsible for the death of this second person killed by Kira? If Kira killed this other acquaintance of his, then Kira is solely responsible. Unless this acquaintance was framed….' _L brought the fork tines to his teeth and felt the metal with his tongue. The touch and taste of the metal a catalyst for his thoughts, despite the lack of sweet attached to it. _'How Yue phrased it made it seem a threat rather than a warning. But if it was a threat….absurd, it was aimed at me and there's zero possibility that Yue met someone I caught. Besides….all those I caught are already dead….most by death penalties, the others by Kira….and the extent of their crimes guarantee someone like Yue would have nothing to do with them.'_

It flashed through his head, images of Yue two years prior during their night in the States, and his cheeks tinged a slight pink as he shut his eyes. Pushing away from the table, he lowered his face to his knees while willing the memories - and their threatening effect on his body - back into a locked and bolted alcove of his brain. He kept his face hidden, chewing on his inner lip as he listened to the officers enter the room - rather than being scrutinized by embarrassing questions, he pretended to be asleep. The effect of the memories upon his lower body wouldn't allow him to budge from his chair until he succeeded in wresting control back.

'_That night has NOTHING to do with this case.'_

0

Light sat beside his father's hospital bed remaining quiet until his mother left to get some lunch; dressed in his school uniform with a well-kempt and honorable son look, he gazed straight at his father's profile. Upon the aging features he noticed the oblique eyebrows attesting to sadness and the near sigh of worry that nearly escape his father's lips before Souichiro schooled them. Leaning forward in his chair, Light placed his hand on his father's arm and spoke calmly.

"Yue will be all right, dad, he said he'd be late visiting today, but he's sure to be all right."

"….I don't know…..I got a terrible feeling about things….." Souichiro sighed, the next moment his eyebrows knitted together in thought. He pushed the thought away as his eyes gleamed under the room's lights, and turned to his eldest son. "There was something about the other day….about how Yue looked at…."

"At Ryuzaki?" Light prodded as the idea welled within him, bursting at the seams of his self-control. He'd noticed the peculiar facial twitches and stares L and Yue gave each other, fleeting and discreet. The kind those in intimate relationships would sneak each other….if his father had noticed them….

"No, I didn't notice anything strange about how Yue acted with Ryuzaki, though it seemed Ryuzaki was uncomfortable….no," Souichiro met his eldest's eyes, unable to read the chocolate-brown orbs beyond the surface hosting the proper son he'd assumed would always exist. Doubt truly filled him as he remembered two nights ago, what he'd read in his youngest son's eyes. "It was how Yue looked at you, Light. While you were commenting on how he should join the investigation….there was something…..then when you left, how he shivered as he walked by you…."

"Oh?" Light felt his chest tighten before he swallowed and settled the bubbling in his stomach with willpower. He refrained from glaring at Ryuk as the Shinigami grinned and laughed. "I noticed that too, but I'm sure he was just cold - he _was_ wearing clothing designed for warmer weather."

"Yes, that is probably it, I suppose - the air-conditioning is up a bit too high. But….um, when did Yue dye his hair? It was black when he came home the other day, but then he changed it to….back to auburn."

Light felt himself stiffen inwardly as he recalled Yue's appearance during the ride to the hospital to visit their father; the words from his brother that he'd taken as a joke throttled him as he scrutinized the younger 18-year-old. It felt like he stared at himself, uncharacteristically dressed for a club, rather than at his fraternal twin. There were differences in Yue's face that he distinguished the second time he looked him over - their similarities weren't identical, but rather like two, not-twin brothers who just resembled each other. But Yue's effort made it near impossible to tell the differences at first glance.

Hell, the color Yue changed his hair to wasn't the younger's natural shade of auburn, but rather closer to _his_ shade of brown. Then how Yue had trimmed the newly dyed hair….

'_He's seriously messing with me. If he hadn't been wearing his ridiculous clothing, but rather my spare uniform, we'd look like identical twins. Even those scars of his he concealed with makeup….'_

"Yue probably did it for a joke, there's nothing to worry about concerning that. There would be less to be concerned about if he'd join the investigation with the taskforce…."

"Yes, there would. But it's Yue's choice and he's gotten stubborn. I tried to talk him into reconsidering this morning, but he refused to budge. I talked to Ryuzaki last night about convincing Yue, but he refused - saying he'd be unable to convince Yue." Souichiro leaned back on the propped-up hospital-bed pillows, brows once more furrowed in thought. "I thought that since they met before that….."

Light's eyebrows shot up, his posture straighter as he zeroed in on the comment rolling unconcernedly from his father's lips. He felt his heart bursting against his ribcage, his breath slightly held.

"What? They met before? Ryuzaki and Yue?"

"Yes." Souichiro caught onto the intense interest that marred his eldest's tone before the college student reined it in. "Two years ago in the States, Yue said. A brief encounter."

"That….that is a surprise." Light fixed his posture as his watch gave a brief beep, signifying the end of his lunch break. "Ah, it seems I have to head back to the university. But I'll visit again later." The teen parted from his father, missing the questioning stare the police chief gave toward his departing back.

Out in the hall, away from the prying eyes of anyone who would notice, Light's lips twitched; breaking into a part grin. Ryuk's laugh echoed in his ear as he thought.

'_An encounter between L and Yue in the States? Then how quickly they engaged in that…inappropriate, intimate encounter on campus….that's rich. Two years ago? Two years ago Yue was underage….L….if you had sex with Yue two years ago…..'_

"Neither dad nor the rest of the taskforce will trust L if I found proof and made it known to them. The great detective L and a sixteen-year-old….."

His brother's words reverberated through his thoughts, but he dismissed them. Even if Yue had seduced L, the facts that L was older and Yue had been molested by Hirose, precluded that Yue would be seen as a misguided, confused victim. Though it wouldn't stop them from needing L's help on the case, if Light revealed the relationship with proof then certain members of the taskforce would be bound to be less inclined to work peacefully with the detective.

Rich. Truly rich.

"Hey, Light. Hey." Ryuk glided alongside the brunette, attempting the gauge the teen's mood - the human's thoughts were a mystery. "Are you still mad at me for not mentioning it?" The Shinigami flinched as he caught the sudden coldness in the unblemished face.

"Ryuk, you are still not getting any apples today. And I don't buy the excuse that you 'forgot to mention' that twins can sometimes sense the presence of their sibling's Shinigami. If I hadn't found Yue's flinch the moment you brushed by him peculiar two days ago, I wouldn't know about the danger I faced from that."

"Aw, come on, Light. I wanna apple!"

0

Kneeling beside the desk, locked drawer picked open quietly, Yue leafed through the strange notebook he found among the papers and magazines inside the drawer. He noted the cutesy handwriting and mentally compared it to the other writing samples of the model's he found in the apartment. It matched, though the writing in the notebook was much neater and lacked the heart shapes the model customarily added to her letters and such. Almost as though the writing in the notebook was of a more serious nature.

He swallowed as he read the first handwritten page, and recognized it as a list of people's names and deaths - none however were of those killed by Kira. Further none of the names struck him as familiar, odd as he memorized both the names of all recent criminals and fugitives that would certainly become Kira victims as well as those already killed by Kira. None of those in the notebook matched.

"If Amane-san was Kira, she'd have something with criminal names written down on. It is possible that those pages could've been destroyed to dispose of evidence, but….these names don't match with anyone fitting the profile of Kira's normal victims. I think I might have scanned a magazine with something written about some of these people - but nothing about committing legal crimes. Moral offenses maybe, but…."

'_I'm fairly certain too, that those people whose names I recognize are still alive….' _He paused, re-reading the page carefully. The next moment he dropped the notebook and gaped, blinking twice before reading a third time. "These death dates….they're all for set as _tomorrow_…."

Arms numb Yue took out his disposable camera and photographed the notebook, making sure to get a clear shot of each page with writing, then the front and back covers. After finishing that, he flipped to the collection of blank pages tracing one absently with his left hand's fingers. Hesitation surged through him, causing him to almost close the notebook and place it back as it was; instead he shook his head and proceeded to rip out a number of sheets.

'_In case this is….I need to have evidence….' _Yue closed the notebook after counting out ten sheets, observing his work closely afterwards to make sure there were no conspicuous gaps left behind. He placed the pilfered pages in his bag and carefully returned the notebook to its exact found location. The watch on his wrist beeped as he closed drawer. _'Fifteen minutes before Amane-san returns from her shoot today. Time to make sure things are as they were before I snuck in.'_


	16. Realization

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 15

Watari glanced at L concerned as he noted the detective's growing impatience with the cell phone. For the fifth time in twenty minutes the black-haired detective had dialed Yue's number and received, by the frown on his face, a caller-not-available-try-again message each time. The cake slice he'd placed on the table in front of L - a chocolate topped strawberry cake he knew L loved - remained untouched, forgotten in the detective's aggravation.

His wizened eyes shifted to observe the other task force members, noticing how they watched and whispered among themselves. Aizawa especially grew agitated every passing second that L ignored them. Determined to avert the pending explosion, Watari approached L and whispered in his ear.

"I know you're concerned about Yue-san, but you need to make some effort to interact with the others on the investigation. Aizawa-san is about to lose it."

L glanced back at the others, revealing how unobservant he'd been of their presence for the past twenty minutes or so by the slight twitch of his lips and eyes. He frowned a bit before leaving his chair and facing them.

"Ah, finally he shows he knows we're still here." Aizawa began stepping forward angrily before Matsuda blocked him in an effort to prevent the violence threatened by the irritable officer's glare.

"There is nothing more that can be done, besides looking through the compiled data and tapes again, until I can gather more information for the Kira investigation. Those of you who wish to can take a break."

"You had us wait twenty minutes before telling us that? We've already looked through the data hundreds of times….now…."

"Aizawa-san, please calm down…."

"…..and who have you been trying to call for the past half-hour anyway? If it's anyone that is important….."

"Yagami-san's son Yue. He seems to be avoiding my calls to check on him. I am certain he is not in danger however, so it would be best not to worry Yagami-san…."

"But if Yue-san isn't answering his phone for so long, then couldn't it be that he's in trouble? Especially since you've been calling so much…." Matsuda squeaked and went for his cell placed on the table where they'd each placed there upon entering the room.

"He shut his phone off, so he probably doesn't know I called….and you'd only worry his father needlessly if you tell him, which given Yagami-san's current health it is best not to do so."

"But….but…."

"I am certain there is no danger to Yue-san from Kira currently."

"There is no guarantee, Yue-san is investigating on his own….he might…."

"….He and Light-kun share the same written name, not to mention a similar even if not identical physical appearance….Light will not risk it unless his brother becomes an extreme threat…."

"That is only if you're right that Light is Kira! Ryuzaki-san….."

"Matsu….." L's cell phone rang before he could complete his sentence and he answered it quickly, noting the number as the one Yue had given him.

0

Caramel eyes blinked, the skin around them whitening with each step the model made towards her apartment door - holding in his breath Yue pulled himself away from the small window of the stairwell door, dropping to the floor before the glowing red eyes noticed him. He counted to a hundred, heart pounding in his chest as what he saw remained burned on his retinas. Floating along unhesitatingly behind the model from the moment the elevator doors opened, had been a creature monstrous in form with huge wings. Further, the creature had seemed to converse with the model who responded in turn with neither surprise nor fear.

'_Shi….Shinigami….that had to be….but how….why….' _He tugged the handle of his bag, drawing it closer. The skin around his eyes pale as his pupils narrowed in fear. _'The notebook….the notebook must be….' _

His brother's face suddenly flashed before his eyes, the strange sensation of death that filled him whenever Light was around suffocated him as nausea bubbled in his stomach. He knew. Despite the lack of evidence and the burden of proof that needed to be satisfied, he knew.

'_Aniki….'_

0

"Yes, I understand that….I apologize…." L ended the call frowning, face stripped of all other expression to disguise the anger flaring through him. He stalked toward the table with his desserts and sat down abruptly on his chair, snatching the chocolate strawberry cake and a fork before responding to the other's questioning stares. "Go ahead and call Yagami-san now, Matsuda-san, and inform him that next time he talks to Yue-san to get his son's _real_ cell-phone number."

"Real number? But didn't that number work yesterday…."

"Apparently the real owner of that number has just returned home from vacation to discover his 'missing' cell phone in his mailbox." L grumbled and dug into his cake, the rare glimpse of irritation peeking from his usually unexpressive mask silenced the task force members' protests.

As the task force officers returned to their side of the room amid the papers and boxes of investigation material, Matsuda hesitated in calling. Glancing at the other officers with a nervous smile, his request that one of them call instead almost passed from his lips before he caught the surprised expression on each one's face.

'_Did Ryuzaki-san actually get tricked by Yue?' _Seemed to be the silent question passed between them, the incredibility of the idea keeping them from voicing it aloud. Matsuda swallowed and glanced back at where L continued to sulk with his back facing the task force; uncomfortably he glanced at his cell phone, wondering how he could inform Souichiro about things without worrying him too much.

'_Perhaps I should call Light and see if he knows where Yue is, and ask him to get Yue's real number….'_

0

Light leaned back against the seat as the bus cruised along the streets, carrying him back towards the university. He ignored Ryuk as the Shinigami whined for apples, the revelations from earlier that day running through his thoughts and filling him with avenues that could lead him to victory. If he could get the task force in general to distrust L….

His phone's ringtone drew him from his current thought-trail and onto another one as he took the contraption from his pocket; two nights ago when L stipulated that Yue give his cell phone number to the detective in exchange for allowing Yue to investigate alone and without being followed, Light had listened closely to the number the younger twin had given.

It was a different number than what he'd gotten when he called his phone from Yue's cell. However it had still worked when the detective and his father tried it out right after he and Yue left the hospital area, sparking Light's curiosity even deeper.

'_Yue must have gotten another cell phone and number, but when…and why? Just for the purpose of hiding the number of his real one?' _The message Light had read on his brother's cell phone flashed through his thoughts, the sender's name and the odd way the sender referred to his brother burned into the forefront of his brain. The sender Tenichi and Yue referred to as 7123 - a number that seemed familiar to Light, though he couldn't place it.

"Hello? Oh, Matsuda-san…." Light answered causally, eyes widening a sliver before he schooled them, his lips briefly curved into a smirk. "I see, he gave a false number….yes, I'll try to get in touch with him myself. I should see him at the university today - we actually have a class together this afternoon. I'll ask him then."

Pressing the end button on his cell, the brunette refrained from chuckling and instead glanced at the passing scenery outside the bus window for indication that it neared his stop; once it was one stop before the university one, he pressed the stop request button and exited the bus. Behind him Ryuk followed him with a curious gaze.

"Light, this isn't your stop…."

'_I see why Yue gave a false number….it was a delay on keeping the task force from keeping track of his investigation….though it's interesting that he doesn't want L to know what he's doing, and that he didn't say anything about my getting his real number….is he planning something with that Tenichi?'_

"Hey, Light…there's a store over there…are you going to get me an apple?" Ryuk floated in front of the brunette and pointed toward the entrance to the supermarket; he paused as Light glared at him sharply - however that glare lost its sharpness and the brunette's expression changed into one of serious inquiry.

"Ryuk….is there anything else about Yue that you're keeping from me? If I get you an apple now and I find out you kept anything else from me…." Light studied the Shinigami while keeping his threat unvoiced, not that it needed to be. His lips twitched as he saw the Shinigami gulp slightly before responding.

"….well, you already know that your brother had a few near death experiences so, there's nothing really….other than that….." Ryuk said, willing to answer the human's questions honestly in the hope of getting an apple that day despite the brunette's earlier refusals.

"That's all.…All right….wait, are you saying you can tell such a thing? That you knew when you first saw Yue?" Light's eyes widened with pure curiosity, though his rational mind saw no reason to needing such knowledge - he knew Yue had almost died before, that his brother's heart stopped at least twice before the younger twin disappeared. That a Shinigami could tell such a thing didn't mean anything to his current predicament.

"The lifespan of humans who 'died' but were resuscitated are different than a normal human's lifespan - especially those whose hearts stopped but were revived when it was close to the end of their original lifespan. Those are especially rare - Yue's the first one I've seen in about a hundred years or….." Ryuk continued with delight as they headed toward the store, stopping only when he sensed the brunette stiffen.

Light froze, his stomach clenching as he processed the Shinigami's jarring words delivered in that offhanded tone.

"You're saying that…Yue was supposed to have died before….that his normal lifespan was supposed to have ended before now? Meaning his suicide attempts…."

"Well….suicide attempts that coincide with the end of a natural lifespan usually succeed….the occasion of a human's normal lifespan extending after they 'died' usually means another human saved them…."

Chocolate eyes blinked and thin lips swallowed back further questions as Light sunk once again into his thoughts, buying Ryuk's apple without really noticing.

'_Does this mean….that while in the States, Yue….his criminal friend saved him….that….no, I've pretty much figured out already why he's against Kira for killing that friend of his….I hate to admit it, but Taeku Takashima probably was innocent of that crime he was in prison for….I researched it yesterday and found out that Taeku had been taking care of a teenager before that conviction, which I'm pretty sure was probably Yue…and….' _Light exited the store and gave the elated Shinigami the apple before continuing towards the university with a stoic countenance masking his intense thinking. _'Yue must have been….Taeku plead guilty so that Yue….I'm certain that's the reason Yue wants to avenge his friend's death, if Taeku had physically protected him I'm certain Yue wouldn't have concealed that information…..but then when was Yue's normal lifespan supposed to have ended? When….'_

Coldness washed over Light as a wave, his stomach and chest tightening as the childhood memory grabbed a hold of him. That day that Yue had nearly drowned while saving a younger student from the same thing - it was barely for even half a minute, but his brother's heart had stopped that day. _He'd_ felt it in his bones, had been able to sense it as though he'd been the one in danger - the terrible dread he'd felt while rescuing his brother after diving into the pool had been acidic, and it'd felt like his own heart had stopped for those thirty seconds….

'_It couldn't be that Yue was supposed to….that I'm the one who….Yue's endangering my ideal world because I…..'_


	17. Calculations

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 16

Yue gripped the handle of the bag housing the sheets pilfered from the strange black notebook tightly, his tired eyes staring at the vending machine's alcoholic selections. His whole body shook internally, the realizations from earlier flooded through his blood, bone, and sinew - filling him with dread. Light was Kira. He had no proof, but he knew - further knowing what to look for meant he could acquire the evidence necessary to convict his brother. Destroy Kira and thereby avenge Taeku's death.

"Light." He slammed his fist against the vending machine, nails dug deep into his palm to the point of drawing blood - like the night two years ago, two days before his rendezvous with L, he desired to drown himself in alcohol. Wished to not feel, to immense himself into a world so lacking in control that all stressors disappeared - yet he refused to kowtow to defeat. Not this time, not this day.

Not when his brother's life and future depended on his next decision.

'_Unlike in Los Angeles two years ago, I have the means to do something rather than wait for the inevitable. Unlike during the Wara Ningyou case….'_

Yue sighed as he gazed back up at the sky, the soreness of his palm pulling him back to the present. His caramel eyes glistened as he listened to the afternoon quiet - to the sounds of people returning to work and school from their lunch breaks, the dim humdrum of life going on around him cut through his bones. Earlier in his life he would've wondered why and hated that the world went on laughing while he felt miserable and separated - but such a thought now was futile. The universe itself did not care, his life and those he cared about were just specks to it; that he was thrust mercilessly into his current predicament proved the cruelty of its indifference.

He stood with two choices laid out before him: one to protect his brother by forgetting all about Light being Kira and thus allowing Taeku's murderer to go free; or two to avenge Taeku's death by giving L the evidence he uncovered and thus condemn his twin brother, who saved his life once, to death. He couldn't chose between either choice, nor could he afford not to do anything.

'_Damn if only B was still alive, I could…..'_

Yue's eyes widened as the idea illuminated itself within his thoughts, his heart pounding at the spark of hope that enflamed his whole being. Swallowing slowly he glanced at the bag held in his hand and pictured the sheets contained therein; the idea strangled him with its obsession.

"After tomorrow night, when I have proof….No….I cannot wait. If I do what I'm thinking afterwards….there will be a greater chance I'll be discovered and stopped. I must do it today." Pushing himself away from the concrete wall beside the vending machine, Yue gripped the bag's handle tightly as he walked down the street in the opposite direction of the university.

0

Tapping his finger against is forehead impatiently as he glanced once again at his watch, Light paid attention to only half of what the professor was lecturing about - the one class that he shared with his brother Yue had decided to skip.

'_Still twenty minutes left of this lecture before I can search for Yue…of course, I should've expected that he wouldn't make it so easy to find him. He pulled that phone-number trick to give the taskforce and L the slip so he could investigate without being tracked, so he'd of course be taking advantage of this opportunity. But I still don't understand why he wished to fool L…if he does have some sort of questionable relationship with that detective then I'd assume he'd want to work with the taskforce.'_

Light jotted down some notes as the lecture droned on, able to easily follow the professor's words even while thinking about his brother and the investigation. Trying to outthink L or figure out what his brother had planned required more mental stamina than taking notes - furthermore he could always look up anything he missed during the lecture.

'_Why do so many teachers lecture right from the text book? It makes things so uninteresting….I could be keeping tabs on the investigation or Yue right now….it's obvious that Yue has something planned, I'd hate it if I had to kill him because he discovered something dangerous…dad's overstressed already and I don't think mom will be able to deal with things either if Yue dies….if I could only be sure that Yue would side with me or at least not tell L anything that he finds out. I….it is possible that Yue has chosen to be on my side….it seems L has already informed him about things, which probably includes my being a suspect….'_

Light tapped his finger against his temple against as he glanced towards the windows and the wall clock. Fifteen more minutes remained of the lecture hour.

'_But as for details…I'm sure L wouldn't readily provide details of how he's investigated so far…the FBI agents, the cameras and wiretaps….information on the FBI agents deaths were made semi-public so Yue could find something out about that, but the information about the surveillance….if L had told Yue about it, my brother would be able to explain how I could've known about it….it's because Yue kept sneaking into my room when we were younger that I started figuring out how to detect intruders and the reason I learned using a slip of paper alone was useless in detecting all but the unwary intruder.'_

Sounds of the room becoming restless filled the lecture hall, the clock ticking away at the last seven minutes of class.

'…_.it's too bad Yue had to run away for five years…if he'd only came back before all this we could be fighting against L together….' _Light closed his eyes briefly as he recalled his brother's accusation against their junior high homeroom teacher. Wisps of anger and frustration seemed to bubble in his stomach, threatening to destroy his calm façade. _'Yue…why didn't you wait until we were alone to mention about Hirose? If L hadn't heard about it, I could've written Hirose's name in my death note already….damn it…why am I getting sentimental? 'What ifs' and 'if onlys' don't matter….thinking that way doesn't change the fact that Yue is my enemy and that I'll have to kill him if he finds out anything that can prove I'm Kira.'_

The clock clicked away the last second of class as the dismissal bell rung, and Light narrowed his eyes that were hidden temporarily by strands of his brown hair. Without more than customary goodbyes to a few of his fellow classmates he picked up his things and left the room, hand going to his cell phone in his pocket.

0

"_What were you thinking, Yue, giving us a false number? A number to a stolen cell-phone no less?" Souichiro rounded on his younger son as soon as the 18-year-old stepped through the hospital room door, the sky outside the windows the darkening shade of sunset. "I cannot believe that you would…."_

"_I'm sorry, father. I…you should relax, back in bed I…." Yue braced himself against justifying his actions and instead focused on ushering Souichiro back to the hospital bed. Guilt swam through him, but he remained silent against giving any explanation. _

"_Even if you gave it back, theft is theft Yue, I….I cannot believe you'll be a thief…." Souichiro sat back down on the bed and remained so only after Yue sat in the chair beside the mattress._

_Yue listened to his father's admonitions without protest, and only spoke to express remorse or to calm his father when the man began riling himself up too much. _

"_Yue-san, I allowed you the opportunity to investigate on your own without being tracked, but you reneged on the agreement." L spoke mere seconds after he entered the hospital room himself and slid shut the door; the anger he felt earlier hidden neatly behind his expressionless mask. Hidden too were the brief expressions of relief, fear, and desire that crossed his mind after he made his next decision. "Therefore, if you are to investigate you must do so within the taskforce's - and my - eyes. I will myself provide you with a new cell-phone that shall be monitored by Watari at the hotel and that will also contain a tracking device. You will also check in with the taskforce or myself everyday in person or through the phone, unless you opt out of investigating completely."_

"_That is…."_

"_Your father and the rest of the taskforce have already agreed to these terms. It is for your protection, Yue-san."_

"_That is….I don't have much of a choice, do I? Except to agree to those terms." Yue sighed and slouched in the chair, hiding his lack of surprise with an outward appearance of dejection. _

Watari wheeled the dessert laden table next to L as the detective sat crouched on his chair; black hair shadowing his eyes and his thumbnail between his teeth L continued his semi-nap until Watari sighed. He glanced up at the wizen face of the only father-figure he'd known, the man who had helped him in establishing his career as the world's greatest detective. He flinched internally at the disapproval written on the familiar, lined face, but showed no outward signs of his thoughts.

He remained silent and waited for Watari to speak first, though he knew what it was the old man wanted to say.

"Having Yue check in with you in person isn't responsible, Ryuzaki. Not with what happened between you…."

"I disagree. It is necessary to keep track - close track - of Yue's investigation and having him come here while the other taskforce members are here is safer than meeting him alone or tracking him merely through the phone I gave him." L poured himself some tea in which he scooped an abundance of sugar, thickening the liquid into a sweet slush. His eyes studying his reflection on the surface of the amber liquid, counting the ripples formed each time he added a scoop of sugar. Yue's face flashed in his thoughts fleetingly as he stirred the tea.

"Ryuzaki…."

"….it is peculiar how Yue copied Light's appearance. I didn't think much of it two nights ago, but tonight…with how he acted - his calm attitude was like Light's. Like…." L lifted the tea cup to his lips and sipped the indulgent liquid, the taste like a nectar to his brain cells. He paused as the thought cropped up, a thought he indulged for a whimsical second before dismissing. _'Merely a coincidence. Yue and Light are twins, and they share the same written name - it is intelligent on Yue's part to make himself look even more like his brother, as it protects him against Kira's power if Light decides he's a threat. That it reminds me of….'_

L placed the teacup down and picked out some small chocolate candies with cream and caramel fillings; as he popped them one by one into his mouth, licking his fingers in between each, feelings of doubt and suspicion rose through his body. He listened to Watari sigh again as the old man's steps faded into the adjoining room.

0

Yue closed his eyes as he sat down on his bed, the deepening evening sky outside his window as the red and oranges of sunset faded cast a dark curtain of shadow over him. The moon had not yet appeared, and the stars too were still waiting to make their entrance - instead only the night's violet sky and shadows decorated the world outside. He sighed and reclined on his soft mattress, the corners of his eyes moist with unshed tears.

"None of the answers are easy, none of the decisions simple….in order to save I must deceive…." The whisper was low, unable to be heard even a foot from his lips. The rest of his thoughts did not need to be uttered, and instead he swallowed them back as he opened his eyes. His sharp caramel irises alighted on the sheet of lined paper he'd taped to his wall above a small bowl of apples.

'_I need to figure out the variables and get rid of as many as I can, simplifying the problem before I solve it.' _He shut his eyes again, breathing in deeply before exhaling slowly, an action designed to calm himself away from all impulse. Now was the time to think logically and detached, to not give into his hotheaded nature but to be more like his brother. _'Shinigami are dangerous variables….'_

0

Leaning forward over the notebook laid out in front of him, head propped against his arm as he clicked the mechanical pencil in his hand continuously, Light glared at the criminal names written on the sheets before him. The realization from earlier that day ripped through his confidence, riddling it with doubt as every thought and counter-thought flashed through his head. Could he kill his brother? Would it be justified to attempt to sooner rather than wait? Was it wrong to wish he'd never saved his brother's life when they were 8 years old?

'_If I hadn't rescued him I'm certain he wouldn't be alive today to threaten my ideal world….but…though perhaps, perhaps I can use that as leverage. I saved Yue's life, he owes me. L doesn't know that. And Yue would definitely want to pay me back for saving him. At least the Yue I knew would - I don't know if he's changed his ideals or not, but if he hasn't then the fact I saved his life is to my advantage. And to L's disadvantage.'_

Light shut the death note and glanced out the window momentarily before placing the mechanical pencil in the pen and pencil holder on his desk. He stretched out his arms to relieve the tension of sitting so long at his desk, sighed and then opened the drawer he'd used to hide the death note. Nonchalantly he grabbed one of the ballpoint pens at random from the bunch placed in the cup on his desk, and glanced at it for a brief second before taking out the plastic ink cartridge.

It was as he was bringing the inner plastic part of the pen to the hole in the bottom of the drawer that he noticed it - by chance he'd grabbed the newest pen of the bunch, one he'd just purchased the day before. Not that it was of much concern itself since, despite the recent, two day prior, unveiling of that particular model and design of pen, it still had the same type of ink cartridge needed to open the hiding place in his drawer. Keeping the electric current at bay - rather the concern was he noticed the pen he grabbed held indentations in its inner plastic tube.

Something that shouldn't have been there.

'_This pen, I bought it yesterday, it shouldn't have any marks on the inner plastic ink tube….Yue…Yue must have snuck in here while I was at the university. While he was skipping afternoon classes….shit. He must have found the death note then….'_

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Light." Ryuk laughed as he observed the college student freeze - saw the brief second when fear petrified the brunette.

'_Shit, I should've created a different method of detecting intruders once Yue returned. I…no, Yue would've had plenty of time to see through any such trap. But….why didn't he react to seeing Ryuk then? When he came home after visiting dad at the hospital today he didn't act like he saw Ryuk at all. Yet he must have if he touched the death note…does that mean he didn't? But then why does a pen I haven't used until today show signs of having been used to open the death note's hiding place? Unless Yue is just further messing with me….'_

Light flipped through the death note, inspecting each and every sheet carefully for signs of Yue testing it or ripping out a page. There were none - which didn't prove that his brother hadn't just touched or flipped through it. Only Yue's lack of reaction to Ryuk proved that - yet that proved nothing.

'_I need to make sure if Yue did or didn't touch the death note. He might have attempted to peek but got interrupted by mom or Sayu coming home earlier - or he could have touched it and be only pretending not to see or hear Ryuk. That…if he did touch the death note, I'll have to kill him. I….' _Light glanced up at the Shinigami who looked at him peculiarly, before putting away the death note in the false-bottom drawer. After a few seconds of silence he faced Ryuk.

"How would you like to have as many apples as you like tomorrow, Ryuk?"


	18. Desperation

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 17

_- …a strange incident occurred earlier today when police responded to a call about a body hanging from a pedestrian overpass. Witnesses claim to not have seen anyone suspicious about at the time, though the victim had only been dead a few minutes…police are investigating the possibility of suicide but haven't ruled out murder…in other news….'_

"Ah, I can't believe people are still committing such crimes….killing people and hanging them up for public display….." Misa gave an exasperated cry and threw herself on her bed, while Rem observed her silently. The Shinigami glanced at the television as the newscaster went on to report other news without releasing the names of any suspects, hinting obviously that no suspects were yet known in the case. "….stupid for the police to think its suicide, who would hang themselves from a bridge? Suicides jump from bridges, not hang themselves from them….."

"Yeah…." Rem agreed, indifferent to the specific crime that had caught the blonde's interest but desiring to keep the human she loved in good spirits. The high-spirited and childlike personality of Misa's pulled the Shinigami in, lulled her with the desire to protect this human at all costs. The warmth and passion in Misa's smile made Rem want to prevent anything from erasing it from the petite blonde's face. "Misa, that cassette that was in your mailbox…."

"It's fine, it's probably just some song or message that a fan wants me to listen too. I've already started to get fan mail…." Misa smiled as she brushed her hair, picking out the outfit she would wear that day from her closet. The aforementioned tape sat, still in its plastic case, on her dresser; the letter that came with it laying open beside it. "Besides it says in the letter that it will be better to listen to it at night, that it will better fit the mood then. I bet it contains a romantic song or poem by a fan." She chattered on, oblivious to the discontent, wary look on Rem's face as the Shinigami glanced over the letter.

'_Something doesn't feel right….'_

0

Light glowered at his brother's retreating form as Yue went off to check in with one of the taskforce members as L had demanded. They both had a hour lunch break now, but instead of having a lecture class in the afternoon, Yue had a free-study period which gave the younger twin ample time to investigate.

'_If only Ryuk had agreed to my plan, I would know conclusively if Yue touched the death note or not. Shinigami are such a pain….' _Light turned toward the lunch room as Yue disappeared around the corner of the university gate, his eyes narrowed as he caught the annoyingly cheerful mood of the Shinigami in its laughter. "What has gotten you in such a good mood today, Ryuk?"

"It's just interesting to imagine how you'll deal with everything now. Do you really think your brother found your death note?"

"I'd know for a fact whether or not he did if you agree to my idea to make a ruckus around him to see if it'll draw a reaction. I offered you as many apples as you wanted if you agreed…."

"No can do. I'm not taking sides, as tempting as the offer is….besides if you don't give me apples daily I can always write your name in my death note and find someone else who will. Though it'd be more interesting if I stay with you."

'_Stupid Shinigami.' _Light grabbed something to eat from the cafeteria and then headed toward a secluded table by the windows facing the school gates. _'I thought for sure a bribe of apples would get Ryuk to do this, but he's acting like it won't bother him if he doesn't get any apples….'_

'_Any apples…? Wait a minute, could it be that Ryuk…is getting apples from someone else? That….if Yue has touched my death note he'd be able to see and communicate with Ryuk, perhaps offer him apples to not get involved….no, that can't really have happened. The only chance Ryuk and Yue would've had to talk was yesterday night, but I'm sure Yue fell asleep before I did and the only time Ryuk acted peculiarly was this morning when he went into Yue's room after Yue left. They couldn't have talked….'_

'_Wait….it's not like they have to speak….they could communicate in other ways, like writing….' _Light sipped some of his canned iced tea, expression blank even as his insides burned with fear, anger, and loathing. The cold knife of betrayal wrenched itself inside his chest, almost suffocating him. The idea of Ryuk communicating with his brother, getting involved when the Shinigami repeated time and again that he wouldn't take sides, smothered him and attacked his pride. It would not leave him though the idea was irrational, unlikely given Ryuk's character. _'Impossible, if Yue could see Ryuk he would try talking to the Shinigami, not write notes….but if Yue cannot see Ryuk, he didn't touch the death note which means he shouldn't even know of Ryuk's existence. Even if Yue found out about the hidden messages I wrote to L using those suicide notes, he wouldn't do something so foolish as write a message to something he doesn't know exists. Hell, he didn't even believe in Santa when we were younger or in anything else he did not see with his own eyes…to just suddenly believe in Shinigami without proof...'_

Light finished his lunch quickly and without a single word to Ryuk, his mind weighing the possibility of Yue finding out about Ryuk and the consequences that would arise from that. In all probability he had to figure out a way to get his brother out of the way without raising undue suspicion onto himself. That meant death - sudden death - was not an option, but a death from a prolonged illness would not help him either. What he needed was an accident, one that would put Yue, unconscious, in the hospital, but wouldn't kill him. That however wasn't something the death note could do.

'_Neutralizing Yue is going to be as difficult as getting rid of L.'_

0

The rain clouds dispersing from the sky, unable to make up their minds whether to rain or not and the slight breeze passing through the air above him, distracted Yue. His eyes took in the signs of life around him, the beauty of nature, indifferently, his face ice-like, expressionless.

"Yue-kun. Have you done any more investigating?" L's voice came from behind Yue, the eccentric detective crouching on a nearby park bench. Tilting his head as his inquiry went unanswered, he observed the 18-year-old closely, almost gasping as Yue finally turned to face him. Only the scars on the college student's neck and around his ear confirmed that it was the younger and not the older Yagami twin before him. _'….I have a strong feeling of déjà vu….this reminds me of how B copied my appearance and personality during the Wara Ningyou case…..'_

"Not really." Yue's voice broke through the illusion of him being his older brother, the sound and tone of his speech strikingly different from Light's. The younger Yagami's voice was guarded, insecure rather than confident - the sound belying the persona he portrayed with his looks. L noted how Yue furtively glanced around before approaching, his stride bringing him to the bench in seconds. Black eyes latched onto the youthful face, determined not to miss a clue as to the thoughts behind the pretty face - L felt his stomach tighten and his heart jump as Yue swiftly dove down to bring their lips together.

Briefly L felt himself about to give into the sensations those soft lips on his produced, allow the familiar hands to explore his body and pull him into a more sensuous embrace; the static from the two-way microphone Watari forced him to wear pulled him back to his rational senses however. It pulled them both back to their senses, as Yue had been close enough to catch the sound and quickly let go of the detective in response. L read the question in those caramel eyes but did nothing to respond, instead he only studied his suspect's brother.

It seemed however that Yue didn't need a response or was able to read it in the detective's expressionless eyes.

"We're not alone. You have surveillance set up to watch this meeting. I'm guessing it's not any of the police in the taskforce since you would've stopped me before I thought of kissing you since anything they know will get back to my dad…." Yue deduced nonchalantly as he sat down on the bench, arms spread out along the back. "Not taking any more chances, are we? Can't get involved with your suspect's brother during your investigation, right?"

"Yue, we've had this conversation before. While you're trying to prove Light innocent we cannot get involved with each other, not to mention that if the extent of our relationship and when it started was uncovered…." L silenced himself before the last thought that he had spoken on impulse could fully escape from his lips. His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the surprise on Yue's face, an expression that quickly morphed into understanding.

"That….that would be bad for you. I deceived you, but most people wouldn't think that's possible…." Yue glanced back up at the sky in thought, his mind becoming calm and clear though his heart felt heavy. _'I guess I shouldn't have mentioned what I did to dad. If he knew how and for what purpose L and I met in the States two years ago, he'd be furious….'_

"Yue-kun, it's been bugging me but….why did Takashima-san plead guilty to protect you? Your age would've protected you from being tried as an adult…."

"If I had used my real age, yes….but I'd convinced Taeku and everyone around me that I was sixteen at the time. And sixteen-year-olds can be tried as adults in the state I was living in at the time. And it was a state that allowed capital punishment."

"….why then, didn't you reveal your real age? If you had…."

"Shut up. You don't know what it's like…." Yue leaned forward, barely able to keep his hands from clenching into fists or his voice from becoming a growl. "I thought about it constantly since Taeku's death, that _if only I'd revealed the truth back then_….he'd still be alive. I tried my hardest after Kira appeared to prove his innocence, but by then my simply confessing to the crime wouldn't have worked since people knew I was close to him and Taeku would've denied it to protect me. Though my confession would've been the truth, it wouldn't have been believed without other evidence, which had been by then successfully destroyed except the information about the bullets. Taeku died because of me…not just because of what I failed to do, but because he wanted to protect me from something I did do. You can't possibly know what that is like."

"Yue-kun…..I haven't experienced what you have in that regard, that's true, but I have known about certain incidences….."

"Unless you have actually experienced such a thing you cannot understand what I feel. It's not just Taeku, if I'd revealed the truth back then I could've been here and then aniki…." Yue violently bit down on his lip as he caught himself from blurting out the rest of the sentence, his stomach twisting as he berated himself for being unable to control his emotions like his brother. Nausea filled his stomach as he felt L's eyes glaring at him, their intensity revealing that they hadn't missed what he'd been about to say.

"What about your brother? If you'd been here in Japan, your brother would have….what?" L closed the physical gap between him and Yue within seconds, his deep and sharp with anger black eyes glared into the younger Yagami brother's face. The intensity thick and suffocating, L noticed Yue's lips twitch and the accompanying brief swallow, his frustrating growing alongside his anticipation. Yue had found something out….but wouldn't tell him. "Yue…."

Two lithe arms shoved him suddenly and he hit the ground, an action not unexpected - he reached out with his leg and tripped Yue as the fair-skinned brunette attempted to leave; the capoeira he'd learned coming in handy. He quickly returned to his feet and grabbed Yue's arms, determined not to let the youth escape until his question was answered.

"Yue, have you discovered proof that Light is Kira?" L demanded in his usual dead-like tone, though it was currently spiked with an undercurrent of anger. He gripped the wrists in his hands tighter when the brunette shook his head. "Yue, do you have evidence that…."

Yue froze in his struggle to escape the detective's grip, remembering how the bowl of apples he'd placed on his desk the night before had been emptied in the morning, with his bedroom door still locked from the inside. The final proof that his brother had a Shinigami around him. He clenched his teeth in frustration as his face paled in fear.

"Yue-kun, if you know something you have to….."

"Let go of me. You have no right to demand me to answer you, unless you wish to subpoena me in court, let go. Unless of course you want me to reveal every last detail of our relationship to my father and the taskforce, I demand you drop this topic and let me go." The anger within Yue, anger he did not realize had been growing steadily, seemed to be pressing the limits of the college student's self-control. _'This guy….this guy….'_

'_Does he not even understand human emotions? How can he think I'll betray my own brother when doing so will ultimately lead to Light's death? How can he be so heartless? And why….why didn't he protect B's identity better after Kira appeared? B told me about how he'd been chosen but failed….this guy knew who B was, yet he….after Kira appeared….like a disposable….' _Ice filled Yue's veins as the idea suddenly lit up in his thoughts. _'Did he….did he leak B's identity deliberately? It wasn't just a mistake or oversight, but was deliberate? It's possible, and if it's true…..'_

"Yue-san. If you remain uncooperative I will be forced to have you arrested for interfering in an ongoing investigation. I do not want to have your father worried about both of his sons, nor do I want him to find out what happened between us in Los Angeles….but I will do what I have to in order to catch Kira."

''_Do what you have to?' If I mentioned B right now, or better yet what B told me in his last message….what would your response be? Would you finally realize what I meant that day at the university? But I can't mention it, not even to ask you why - not if I wish to save those I cherish most.'_

"Yue-san…."

'_Further, in order to save….I must….' _Yue stared into the detective's eyes briefly while from a few blocks away the sounds of city traffic buzzed in his ears. The next second he used all his weight to push L away from him, escaping the detective's grip before launching into a sprint toward the nearby intersection.


	19. Reversals

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 18

_He heard someone call his name, felt hands try to grab him only to have the cloth of his shirt slip through their fingers; his surroundings a blur, the only thing noticeable was the pounding of his heart. It nearly hurt his ribcage and the air he heaved in burned his lungs, yet he ignored them like one does an irksome pest and raced into the street. Mind racing with memories from five years before, preparing him for the painful eve of oblivion he anticipated with every step, he only dimly registered the hands that once more grabbed for him._

0

Light felt numb as he stared down at his twin lying unconscious on the hospital bed. Yue seemed frailer with his eyes closed and the bandages around his ribs and left wrist, along with the numerous minor abrasions and cuts marring his arms, legs, and face. A chill raced down Light's spine as he realized how miraculous it was that Yue hadn't been wounded worse by this latest suicide attempt.

"I must apologize once again, Yagami-san, for not being able to stop Yue-san." L spoke to Souichiro in a subdued voice, his heavily shadowed eyes obscured by his black hair. The police chief ignored the detective and sat down beside his son's hospital bed, running his hand through Yue's hair. "He is a faster runner than I am…."

The detective's words died in the welcoming silence, a silence broken only by the beep of the machines attached to the comatose Yue.

"Yagami-san…."

"….what were you and Yue talking about before Yue…." Souichiro hesitated, his hand that wasn't running through his son's hair clenched into a fist. Inside his chest his heart thumped angrily and his blood was like acid coursing through his body - the need to blame someone, to comb out a reason for Yue's suicide attempt grew steadily by the second. "Did you say anything that would make him try….make him attempt to…."

"We talked only about the investigation, Yagami-san." L replied plainly, the rage he sensed from the police chief warning him not to specify what part of the investigation he and Yue had discussed. "….he suddenly pushed me away and ran….I wasn't expecting it."

"Hm…." Light listened quietly to the detective's words while he studied his unconscious brother's face. It seemed strange gazing down at someone who resembled him so much lying comatose and bandaged in a hospital bed. He shivered at the crazy thought that it was like he was looking at himself on his death bed - his stomach knotted and he banished the thought from his mind. _'I can't become morbid….my death won't happen for a very long time….' _"….Ryuzaki, are you sure you didn't pressure Yue with groundless accusations against me?"

"…None of my accusations are groundless, Yagami-kun. Still I did not pressure Yue-san with any accusations about you…."

"Then why did my brother try to kill himself? You said he suddenly pushed you away and ran toward the street…." Light glared at the raven-haired detective, hiding his relief behind a mask of righteous anger - his brother was no threat to him while unconscious. Further, he realized with relish, if Yue did become a threat again he could write 'suicide' beside his brother's name in the death note and no one would connect it to Kira. Yue had a history of suicide attempts after all….all he had to do was get around actually writing that name himself.

'_Light Yagami….' _L studied the brunette closely through his strands of raven hair. The slight smug smile hinting at the corner of his suspect's lips - a smile it seemed only he ever noticed - chilled him. His first thought when Yue ran toward the intersection had been 'it's Kira', but the fact that the younger Yagami twin sustained no fatal injury nor had a heart attack, disproved his suspicion. _'…did you have nothing to do with this? Or can you somehow control people without killing them straightaway? All the information compiled about Kira so far suggests he kills only with heart attacks, so Yue did this on his own….however, Yue found out something about Kira….I'm sure he knows something important….something that points to his brother's guilt, which makes it likely that Kira will want him dead.'_ L chewed on his thumbnail and shifted his gaze to the younger Yagami brother's pale face; he stared at the closed eyes and the abrasions on the white cheeks. _'If this wasn't Kira's doing, but solely Yue's….Yue has found out something he can't face….instead of giving me the information he's found out, he's decided to run away by trying to kill himself. I thought he'd be stronger than that….'_

"Ryuzaki-san! Chief!" Matsuda burst through the door, fear painted on his face and in his voice. Stumbling over his feet and his words as he entered, it took a few bewildering seconds before he managed to tell them to turn on the television. Then another few before he got out what station to turn to. "Turn to Sakura TV….it's…it's terrible…."

"Matsuda-san, what could…."

The words died in L's throat, along with his annoyance, as the word 'Kira' written in gothic letters on a black background stared back at him from the screen. He listened to the machine altered voice barely thirty seconds before he took out his cell phone and headed for the nearest point in the hospital he could use it.

0

Misa hummed to herself as she opened her apartment door and stepped inside, Rem floating along behind her. The blonde model tossed her bag onto the kitchen table, its contents slightly spilling out while she stretched and took off her coat. A smile on her lips, she switched on the television and sat down on a chair - all the news stations were still discussing what happened on Sakura TV four hours ago.

"Oh….I wonder what the police's response will be - either way they will have to show the real L on TV, when that happens I'll be able to kill him for Kira." Misa giggled, while Rem glanced around the room until her red eyes found the cassette tape. The Shinigami stared at the tape and the letter that came with it.

"Misa…."

"Um? Oh! That tape a fan sent me, I should play it now…." The model grabbed the cassette, then headed for her bedroom; she plopped down on the mattress before reaching for the portable cassette player that lay on the dresser next to the bed.

Rem frowned as she watched her human put the tape in the player and the earbuds into her ears; though the Shinigami still felt uneasy she sighed and floated through the wall into the hallway.

'_Maybe, just in case, it'll be a good idea to look for signs of trespassing….I thought I saw someone watching Misa the other day by the stairs, but I might have been mistaken. Nothing seems to have been taken or touched….' _Rem narrowed her eyes slightly as the thought jumped into her head. _'….I might be paranoid, but it seemed whoever was in the stairwell had noticed me….'_

"AH!" Misa's gasp brought the Shinigami back to the model's bedroom, her eyes wide with worry. That expression soon grew into puzzlement as Rem studied her beloved human's face and saw not just Misa's surprise, but her excitement as well. The model sat up on her bed, attention focused on listening to the cassette tape as it played.

0

The one called Tenichi glanced over the letter with an odd gleam in his dark eyes, their intensity eclipsed by the heavy shadows thrown over them by his raven hair. He read the letter thoroughly, mouthing the words as the clouds outside blocked the pale moon from filling the world with its silver glow - strengthening the shadows surrounding him from each corner of the room.

" 'These pages and the notebook you shall receive shortly….'" He read again, this time giving sound to the words rather than just lips movements. Disbelief pulsed through him and his hand shook, clasped tightly in his fingers was evidence that what he yearned for was once more within his reach. And this time he would not make any mistakes. "My, how interesting things become when one simply sits back and waits….I was certainly right to choose you, Yue…but this is faster than I expected…."

Headlights from a passing car streamed through the window and illuminated the man's face and body. Clothed in plain black jeans and a white turtleneck that nearly covered up all his burn scars but did nothing to extinguish the wildness that burned like an aura from his lithe form, the man leaned against the kitchen wall. The letter fell from his fingers as he stared at the ceiling, his dark eyes exuding a bright crimson glow.

'_I wonder….who will catch Kira first? L or me?'_

A/N: End of Chapter.

Sorry about taking so long to update but after a long case of writer's block, I decided to drastically change what I had planned for this fanfic. (For a brief period I even debated whether to rewrite this whole fanfic, but decided it would be too much work and would then never get finished). Anyway, I hope to finish this fanfic before the end of the year, since I have started to have more free time in which to write fan fiction.


	20. Revelations

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 19

_Everything was a blur, his heart pounding in his chest. He gasped for breath in rapid bursts, nearly hyperventilating as he staggered against the wall. He swallowed and closed his eyes, listening to the distant sirens that drew nearer and nearer. _

"_Yue, where have you…god!" The familiar voice lulled him away from his fear, a respite from the cold reality that hung over his head like a guillotine. He opened his tear-blurred eyes while he trembled, still propped against the wall. Taeku stared back at him, the older man's eyes transfixed on the gun in Yue's hands. "What have you done? Get…get inside…."_

"_I couldn't…I….Yashima….threatened Light….I couldn't…" Yue tried to speak, to explain through his gasping breaths, but the panic that spread through him from seeing Taeku's horrified face hindered him. He heard the gun clatter on the bare floor of the hallway, his fingers too numb to maintain their grip. _

"_Get inside, Yue. It'll be all right, just get inside." Taeku picked up the gun and pulled the hyperventilating teen through the apartment door, silently praying that none of the neighbors had been watching. The man's eyes roamed over the blood-splatter staining the teen's clothing as he led Yue to a chair, his mind trying to make sense of the shattered youth's mumbles. In his distress Yue had reverted to speaking in Japanese, forgetting that the American-born Taeku wasn't fluent in the language._

"_Yashima…he….he said he'd return….to Japan….and he….I couldn't let him go back….he said he'd hurt…I couldn't let…Light…."_

"_It's all right, calm down. Yue, calm down." Taeku placed his own calloused hands over Yue's trembling ones, an action meant to relax the teen yet the contact brought a stronger wave of terror to Yue. The man watched perplexed as the teen violently pulled away and curled into a ball on the floor - his mind the next second providing an explanation stemming from his own experiences. "Yue…."_

0

Crouching on a cushioned chair before a table covered with mounds of paper, L bit down on the metal tines of his fork. The white icing cake Watari had brought him twenty minutes ago lay untouched on the coffee table to his left. Between trying to figure out what Yue had found out that prompted the teen to attempt suicide, and trying to unearth the identity of a second Kira whose existence was revealed through Sakura TV, L felt his patience dwindling. It required more than sugar to figure out what information he lacked, what pieces of the puzzle he still needed to solve the case. Yet the only one with intelligence high enough to be of any use was his suspect.

'_Yagami-kun knows what information he can reveal without worry and what he must keep secret, it'll be asking for a miracle to hope he'll simply screw up. Though it seems genuine that he doesn't know anything about the Kira who contacted Sakura TV….' _

The detective tapped the tines of his fork against his teeth as he glanced at Light, the brunette was leafing through the stack of information nearest him silently. L frowned at his suspect as he recalled the previous morning - four days after the near catastrophe at Sakura TV, L received news about the death by suicide of Hirose Izaki, Light's and Yue's middle school homeroom teacher. The older Yagami brother had vehemently denied knowledge or involvement in the death and had insisted that though the timing was peculiar, nothing yet suggested Kira killed by means other than heart attack.

'_Yagami-kun's surprise at Hirose's death seemed genuine enough, and I find it hard to believe that he'd attempt something so foolhardy as killing that man when doing so would increase suspicion of him being Kira. I don't view Kira as someone who'd risk himself for his family nor do I view him as someone who'd seek revenge for anything less than a personal slight.'_

"Ryuzaki, we've looked through all this information over and over this past week, but nothing stands out as Kira related. And it doesn't seem like second Kira is planning to respond to those 'fake Kira' tapes you insisted on broadcasting…." Soichiro approached the detective, his inner turmoil between needing to trust L and wondering if Light's suspicion that L caused Yue's latest suicide attempt was justified reflected in his eyes.

"….if you wish to take a break, Yagami-san, I won't stop you. Nor will I stop you if you wish to leave the investigation…since both of your sons…."

"Ryuzaki….you still think that Yue figured out something and is trying to protect Light?" Soichiro swallowed and stared down at the detective, his countenance drastically aged by the stress of recent months.

"I do hope it isn't true, but yes, I do suspect it. I further believe it is better to hope that Yue's actions are fully his own and that he isn't being controlled by Kira as nothing suggests that those Kira controls can remain alive for long." L fidgeted in his chair then placed down the fork next to the cake. He reluctantly glanced up at the police chief's face. The next one to speak wasn't the older man though.

"Are you saying it's possible that Kira can control his victims enough to make them attempt suicide?" Matsuda perked his head up from the stacks of paper he was currently combing through. His overworked mind was, like each of the others', grasping for any possibility of new information that could move the case forward.

L blinked, briefly dumbfounded that he missed the clue hidden in his own words - it spoke of how strained he was that he didn't realize the gravity of his words until Matsuda spoke them. There was nothing to suggest Kira could or did control his victims into attempting suicide, but somehow subconsciously he'd begun to suspect it. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say he hoped it, since then it would mean Yue hadn't decided to betray L and side with Light.

"There's nothing to indicate that Kira can do such a thing, Matsuda-san. I think we all - including Ryuzaki - are all overworked. Grasping for straws…." Light, who had followed the conversation close and silently until then, piped up to shoot down Matsuda's theory. Though it hadn't been mentioned specifically, it wasn't a long jump from suggesting that Kira could control people into attempting suicide to suggesting he could succeed in making them kill themselves.

"I guess, Light-san, but…." Matsuda scratched the back of his head dejectedly as he glanced from the teen back to the detective.

"…it isn't impossible." L mumbled, his heart thumping excessively as the idea, growing from his wish, unfolded in his thoughts. "Matsuda-san, I have to say you've been more astute than I for once. I didn't realize my words suggested it, but there hasn't been any evidence that proved Kira couldn't control his victims to that extent."

"But just because there's no evidence to disprove it, doesn't mean it's possible…" Light interrupted, only to be countered verbally by the detective.

"On the contrary, Yagami-kun, having no evidence to disprove it, means that even if it is only the slightest chance, it is still possible. And as we've got no other current leads, we should investigate this one fully."

"Ryuzaki…." Soichiro studied the detective while behind him Matsuda, who seemed trapped between pride and bewilderment from being called astute by L, simply stared at the empty air. It took Aizawa's tapping the younger officer on the shoulder for Matsuda to blink out of his stupor. Neither noticed the irritated gleam in Light's eyes, nor the fine crease that formed on the college student's forehead as he tried to figure out a way to distract L from the deduction the brunette knew the detective would soon make.

"….it may be only slightly possible, but Kira's being able to control his victims' actions before death could mean he could control them into suicide attempts or risky situations. And in that case, this control means it possible he could kill his victims through their own actions. By suicide or accident. Therefore," L chewed on the nail of his right thumb after unconsciously bringing it to his lips. "I believe it prudent to re-investigate with a focus this time on criminals who died by means other than heart attack. Kira may have hidden important clues by not killing them with his normal M.O."

"Ryuzaki…."

0

The one Yue called Tenichi read over the sheet of paper carefully, his legs folded up against his chest. It wouldn't do to have the detective uncover Yue's connection to him too early - it would ruin the fun - yet the teen had already started planting the seeds of suspicion. The black haired man bit at his thumbnail, and his glinting-crimson eyes hidden in the shadow of his hair read over the words angrily. That Yue would discover who he really was, and so quickly, hadn't figured into his calculations - no, that wasn't completely accurate. He had taken a risk in addressing Yue as 7123 in his text message, a code he couldn't have known about normally; yet he believed he managed to convince the teen he'd just recently discovered it on the teen's website.

"This isn't ideal to my plan, that Yue should know I'm the one who communicated with him through his site - if the information I faked my death gets back to L too early…." He tossed the sheet of paper to the floor and abruptly turned to his right, grabbing the jar half-filled with crimson jam. He stuck his fingers into the jar, and ate with abandon the gooey sweetness. Beneath his raven strands of hair his eyes gleamed dangerously, and he flirted with the idea of silencing the annoyance using the notebook; the cold flames of envy had lapped at him steadily ever since a month before Yue returned to Japan. Pretending to be Yue's friend 'Tenichi' had become nearly unbearable since the brunette's mention of a certain one-night-stand two years prior.

"That L would allow himself to be seduced by such a weak-hearted annoyance…." The dark haired man's eyes gleamed a violent red, bestowing upon him an almost demonic countenance. "…heh…I wonder what L would do if he knew the reason Yue was in L.A two years ago. If he knew what I requested from that annoyance…." He glanced at the laptop screen nestled against the kitchen wall. Displayed on the screen was the website he'd met Yue through – though the teen had attempted to delete the site, he had been able to restore it. He smirked while his cold, yet venomous eyes scanned the page, and his pale fingers brought more rich-crimson jam to his lips.

_- 'If at any time it appears my plan will not last past my death, I leave it to you to correct it. That is my only request…for you to make sure my defeat of that detective remains unbroken. If I should fail….unless I die don't make any moves that will reveal your existence to that detective.' B Thirteen-_

"Yue, you didn't follow my instructions. Though I suppose you had your foolish reasons…" 'Tenichi' – B – scowled and scan-read the rest of the message posts. The near empty jam jar dropped to the floor from his fingers as his eyes alighted upon the most recent addition. He leaned forward with eyes narrowed, his left foot stepping on the floor beside the broken jar. He flinched, but otherwise ignored it as a shard of glass cut into the bottom of his heel, the scarlet blood leaking from the cut blended neatly with the crimson jam. "This is….this message to Yue…I didn't write it." Thumb at his lips, he bit into the skin with his incisor. "Oh….I get it. He found out. This message was his doing…."

B laughed and bit into his lip, reading over the message – a message only that detective could have left, one that hinted at B's supposed death. _'Leave it to L to figure out I had an accomplice prior to my murders…though Yue only hacked into databases so I could find the proper victims. Heh, heh….L succeeded in convincing Yue that I died…." B bit deeper into his lip, drawing blood; he half-glanced at the letter and black notebook the teen had sent him. "….that means Yue sent me that notebook without knowing I'm B….he wants me as his friend 'Tenichi' to pretend to be B….not knowing I truly am B. Hm….if L doesn't know that Yue was my accomplice yet, then I could toy with them both….heh.'_

* * *

A/N: It's been forever since I updated…sorry for taking so long! Heh, heh….I've brought B into this story, my new favorite Death Note character. I hope I haven't made it too confusing by revealing Tenichi as being B in disguised (I hadn't planned that at first, but I decided that adding B to the story would make things more interesting).


	21. Copycats

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 20

"Ryuzaki, do you seriously think investigating Hirose's death is important to the case?" Light demanded after glancing over the opened file on the detective's laptop. Thirty minutes had passed since L decided to reinvestigate criminal deaths, with the focus on those who hadn't died from heart failure.

"Seeing as Hirose's death came after Yagami-kun learned about what happened to his brother, and that it wasn't a heart attack, it is necessary to investigate the suicide. Furthermore…" L nibbled on his thumbnail, eyes transfixed on the computer screen. "The specific circumstances of Hirose's death are suspicious. He hung himself from a pedestrian overpass…."

"….that's enough reason not to think it Kira's doing. A death like that would surely attract attention, and even if it possible Kira can use other means to kill, it is likely he'd do so to hide the death, not put it on public display…." Light folded his arms across his chest, hiding his anxiety behind a stoic mask. _'If Yue found my death note like I suspect, then it's possible he killed Hirose…but I checked and there were no signs of pages being torn out or any added writing….but if it was Yue, why not just kill Hirose with a heart attack?'_

"Perhaps Kira did so because he assumed I would dismiss the death as being too much of a spectacle, while if Hirose died of a simple suicide, it might alert me more?" The raven haired detective faced Light, his black eyes watching the brunette without blinking.

"Your theory, Ryuzaki, is only logical if I'm Kira. Which I am not. It also hinges on the assumption that, not only am I Kira but that I would use my power to avenge Yue, whom I honestly have no interest in helping." Light brushed off the sharp inhale of his father's in response to the teen's cold words, and continued. "Besides, if I were Kira, I'd know that killing Hirose by any means would only strengthen your suspicion of me."

"Yes, I do believe that'd be the case if you'd killed Hirose, and if Hirose's death was merely for revenge, Yagami-kun." Despite L's monotone, which emphasized none of his words, Light stiffened - he understood the detective's meaning.

"That's impossible, Ryuzaki. And it's too much for you to suspect him at this point." Light glared at the detective, even as his own thoughts contradicted his own words. _'It is possible, but….'_

"He does have a motive. The strongest one, in fact." L replied, leaning closer to the laptop, his right hand picking up the fork set beside a cake laden plate. After shoveling a bit of the sugary sweetness past his lips, he tapped his teeth with the metal tines. _'….this…the analog watch Hirose wore when he died was stopped manually at 1:13 pm, with a giant 24 written on its face in blood….1:13 pm becomes 13:13 when using a 24 hour clock….1313.…it can't be a coincidence….'_

Souichiro glanced from L to Light then back to L, his hands clenched. "Ryuzaki, Light, you're not talking about….you think that Yue had something to do with Hirose's…."

"I believe it possible Yue would want to protect his brother, even to the extent of leaving an evidence trail that led away from Yagami-kun."

Souichiro glared at the detective, shaking with rage as L's words fell from the pale man's lips.

"Ryuzaki! First, you accuse my eldest son of being a mass murderer, and now you accuse my younger son of aiding and abetting his brother? Yue is in the hospital in a coma for god sakes…."

"….which is the reason I'm not fully sure it was of his own freewill. Kira can control the actions of his victims prior to death." L nearly loss his balance as Souichiro grabbed his shirt sleeve, no longer able to fully curtail his anger at the detective's emotional disregard. "Please calm down, Yagami-san. You as a police chief must know there are times you must suspect people even if you'd rather not. I'd rather neither of my suspicions be correct about Yue, but if one is, I'd rather it be he wasn't controlled. If he was controlled, there's a 98% chance he'll die…."

"…." Souichiro glared down at the detective. Unable to see L's eyes as the latter's black hair hid them from view, the police chief nevertheless noticed how the detective roughly bit at his lip as well as how L tightly clenched his pant legs, turning the pale skin of his hands whiter. He let go of the detective's shirt. "Ryu…Ryuzaki…."

"Can't you be a little more sympathetic, Ryuzaki?" Light said after glancing at the other taskforce members. "You almost seem un-human. Besides, with what occurred between you and Yue on campus, I'd think you'd care a bit more than you seem."

"Yagami-kun…." L scowled at his suspect, his black eyes noticing the sneer on Light's face though it lasted less than half a second. "That has nothing to do with the case now."

"On the contrary, engaging in a physical relationship with your suspect's brother is bound to affect your neutrality. Or were you just trying to manipulate Yue so he'll spy for you?"

"Neither is the case, Yagami-kun….I…." L paused as he felt the taskforce members' stares. _'I knew Yagami-kun wouldn't keep it secret for long, but revealing what he knows about my and Yue's relationship in front of everyone is a bit more childish than what I'd expect….'_

"Ryuzaki…you and Yue…."

"….A physical relationship? Ryuzaki-san, did you really…."

"…we should get back to discussing the case, this really has nothing to do with catching Kira…" L spoke, attempting to divert the topic away from the dangerous truth. A glance at the stares surrounding him told the detective that the subject would not be dropped. "…what happened between me and Yue isn't important to this case. It hasn't affected my judgment of the case, as my suspect is the same as it was before Yue's return. Furthermore, it wasn't a means to manipulate Yue-san….he's the one who actually initiated it, before he knew anything about the case."

"But you knew…." Souichiro stared down at the detective, his face motionless with shock while he listened; Souichiro's insides burned as Yue's revelation that he and L had met before in the States reverberated with the detective's words. He grabbed the detective's shirt again.

"What about two years ago?" Light inquired, voicing the question he read on his father's face; "Isn't that when Yue said he met Ryuzaki before, dad?"

"…." Dark pupil eyes glared at Light through strands of sharp black hair, their intensity somewhat obscured. "…we did meet before, but as I recall, it wasn't that long before the start of the Kira case." The lie escaped L's lips effortlessly, his eyes closely watching Light and Souichiro. "Nothing much happened, we met near a café, and had hot chocolate and some cake together. Then I had to leave for another case that I was working on."

"….the Los Angeles B. B Murders?" Souichiro stared at the detective as he recalled the case Yue had mentioned as being around the time as Yue's encounter with L. "Yue said it was around the same time as that case…."

L blinked; his widening pupils hidden by strands of his coarse black hair, his thumbnail at his lips. He watched Souichiro, waiting for the older man to say more, his heart rapidly pounding beneath his ribs.

"Actually, he said it was shortly after that case ended…."

L's lips parted as he blinked again, his quick intake of breath silencing the police chief faster than any words could. _'No…how did Yue know it was after that case ended? I solved it two days before, but all documents have the case end-date as the day Yue and I met. He couldn't have gotten it by hacking the FBI database….'_

"Ryuzaki?"

'_Yue mentioned that there was another person he knew that Kira got to…I thought it was absurd, since his tone seemed to blame me for the death as well…but…if Yue meant B….B's face and name were never reported….if Yue thinks B's dead it could only be through that site and the message I left….' _L gripped his legs tightly with his hands, the pale knuckles turning whiter from the pressure. The skin around his eyes whitened noticeably as well. _'If that's the case…Yue is B's accomplice, and he knows….what I wrote in that message, the gamble I made….' _

The detective glared at Light, his heart beating more viciously against his chest. There was no longer a guarantee of his safety, that message he'd sent B's accomplice in an effort to force the stranger's hand - if Yue had read it, the chances of L surviving the Kira case were practically nonexistent.

"Ryuzaki? Are you all right? You've gone pale…."

L bit firmly down on his thumb, the next moment rising from his chair. "Someone needs to keep an eye on Yue, while I glean what I can from any recent strange suicide cases…."

"Ryuzaki, why…what's…."

"Yagami-san, I am sorry for this, but it seems your younger son was involved with the criminal behind the Wara Ningyou - the Los Angeles B. B Murders." L spoke and sent Watari a meaningful glance as the wizen man placed down a tray of sweets on the table. The old inventor, whom he viewed like a father, would never question his decisions, but though Watari knew about the website L had found, the old man didn't know what the detective had written in the message. _'If anyone finds out that I wrote my real name in that message….just to test if B or his accomplice had a connection to Kira….that crazy idea of mine….though….'_

"Watari, please check up on B's location…see if he's escaped or not…." L nibbled on his thumbnail as the old inventor nodded and left the room. _'It seems Kira's power may have already gotten into B's or his accomplice's hands….if that's the case….'_

"Ryuzaki, who's B? And what do you mean that Yue was his accomplice? What…."

"The decisive evidence is what you just told me, Yagami-san. Yue told you that he and I met after the end of the Los Angeles B. B Murders…while that is true, it was only two days after and no reports of the case give the correct ending date. All reports - even in exclusive FBI file report - give the end date as the same day Yue and I met. Yue could only know the real date if he knew B's original plan."

"That's…."

"Even if that's the case, Ryuzaki, it has nothing to do with the Kira investigation. Unless you're saying that Yue-san helped this B directly with the murders…." Aizawa paused; behind him Souichiro inhaled sharply, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"I refuse to believe Yue would….it's impossible…."

"Yue wasn't directly involved in the murders. What he did was provide B with information from which he chose his victims. Whether Yue knew what B was planning to use the information for is unknowable until I question him. However…" L chewed on his thumbnail, hesitating a second before he continued. "I do know of one murder Yue did commit. He for all intents and purposes confessed it to me the first day I talked to him at To-oh university."

The blood drained from Souichiro's face as L's words crashed on his ears; his stomach felt queasy, and he felt like he would collapse. He quickly sat down on the chair closest him, his mind blank.

"….further, Yue, as B's accomplice, does have something to do with the Kira case - the 'Kira' behind Hirose's suicide, as well as another one I've recently became aware of, is someone who has intimate knowledge of B's murders. Enough to make the suicides mirrored events of the murders." L spoke, his eyes hidden within the heavy shadows of his hair, his face turned away from the taskforce and towards the screen of the laptop on the table. "B's murders were locked room murders used to disguise his would-be suicide as another murder. Hirose's public suicide is the opposite, while the death method - strangulation - is the same as B's first murder. There are smaller clues left that point towards the B. B Murders. I've also glanced through data on another open-air suicide - one that matches B's second murder where the method was a blow to the head."

Light watched L calmly, his face betraying no sign of the tumult raging beneath the surface. Though he wasn't privy to all of L's logic or all the clues gleaned from the incidents that struck the detective as being related to this 'B' of his, he felt that the detective was right. He'd convinced himself earlier that Yue hadn't taken any sheets from his death note, but that still left the possibility that Yue somehow got a hold of Second Kira's death note. The fact that Second Kira disappeared just as suddenly as he or she appeared, spoke towards the possibility that Yue had tracked Second Kira and neutralized him in some way.

'_If Yue did find and deal with Second Kira, where is the death note? Perhaps…he could've given it to this 'B', but how would he be able to give it to a criminal that is most likely locked up? If B escaped, then it's possible, but what is Yue's motive then? It couldn't be that he wants to divert suspicion from me and place it on B instead….that is something I'm not going to even bother considering, unless it's part of some bizarre trap.'_

"Ryuzaki, couldn't it be this B himself has acquired Kira's power and is once again killing?" Souichiro inquired, looking at the detective with eyes that expressed both weariness and a glint of hope. Even if what L said about Yue being a criminal's accomplice as well as having committed murder himself was true, it didn't prove that Yue was using Kira's power to create these suicides that mirrored the B. B Murders.

"….that wouldn't explain why Hirose Izaki was the first victim. It could be mere chance, or it could be that this other suicide and the resemblance to the B. B Murders is camouflage to hide the significance of Hirose's death. There is no conclusive evidence either way….but, if it is B who is behind these suicide deaths, then there will be more deaths aimed at challenging me."

"Challenging you?"

"…B's obsessed with defeating me. The Los Angeles B. B Murders were motivated simply by his desire to create a puzzle I couldn't solve." L glanced towards Light and bit at the skin of his index finger. Though he could've hidden the connection, a flash of insight gave him the idea to use the truth to his advantage. If he could manipulate Light into searching for B as a possible ally for Kira, then he could lay a trap for them both. It was a radical plan, one that had about a five percent chance of success, but if he did nothing but wait for an opportunity, there was less than a five percent chance he'd survive. He couldn't afford to ignore the possibility that Yue, and B, had the chance of reading that damning message.

0

B studied his surroundings carefully, his sharp eyes hidden behind heavy sunglasses - in the days proceeding his receiving of the death note, while waiting for the deaths set down by Yue to occur, he'd studied the Kira case relentlessly. He'd combed through all known evidence - both that which was known to the public and that which he'd hacked from the police database. He'd even scoured the internet for amateur theories set by fans and critics alike. Anything to become more acquainted with a case he'd suddenly found himself in the middle of.

'_To think I had originally decided to wait until after L caught Kira to set a new puzzle for that detective to solve….thanks to Yue, I can butt into the Kira case and steal the victory….' _B smirked, relishing the fact that he knew as much as - no, more than - L about Kira. He knew more than even Yue about the case….upon learning that Second Kira was able to kill just by knowing a person's face, he'd laughed. A laugh that expressed his elation at finally - finally - having an advantage over L; Yue providing him with the basic rules of the notebook was all he needed.

'_L will be focused on Second Kira being able to kill with just a face, but without knowing that the killing method is writing in a notebook, he'll be focused on believing the power is some sort of telepathy. I know it isn't. Further, it isn't hard to imagine that…Second Kira must have the same eyes as I do.' _With his black hair pulled toward the back of his head, B walked towards a bench and sat down, hesitating on sitting crouched down on his feet - though he'd made a point for years to behave like L, he could not allow such habits to betray his identity. L would be searching for him, and this time he planned to avoid that detective's notice. He grinned, the wild glint in his eyes hidden behind the sunglasses, and sat down normally on the bench; legs clothed in rich black jeans and a raven hoodie over his white shirt.

'_Second Kira is likely to be around here - probably someone connected to Sakura TV. And if what Yue wrote is correct, I should be able to see a Shinigami tailing him or her.' _B leaned back on the bench, spreading his arms over the back part. The more different he behaved from his 'L copycat' persona, the easier it'd be to avoid detection. _'Hm….one thing I don't know is precisely how did Yue pinpoint Second Kira's identity? Unless….unless that information I got him on that stalker is what led him to it. If that's the case, then I know who Second Kira must be….The only thing I don't know is why Yue wants to mislead the investigation….'_

0

"Misa, I don't think it was a good idea to send your death note to that address provided by that cassette tape. It does seem like it had to be Kira, but…." Rem's voice trailed off as she gazed at the happy-go-lucky Misa walking without hesitance towards the television studio. She ignored the person sitting on the bench in her peripheral vision, and instead followed after the bubbly model.

"Oh, how many times do you have to repeat that? I know it was dangerous, but as the sender of that tape knew I was Second Kira, if he'd wanted to kill me, he could easily have done so already. Besides, he warned me about the possible traps the police would create to catch me - like that fake Kira broadcast." Misa spoke to Rem in her normal voice; like the Shinigami she hardly took notice of the person sitting on the bench as she passed it. She didn't even sense his eyes watching her from beneath the heavy sunglasses.

"I don't like how this 'Kira' found out about you. He doesn't have the Shinigami eyes, unless he's been hiding it for this whole time. He couldn't have figured out who you were before you even revealed your existence!"

"Hm….that is weird. But I can ask him once I find him. Besides, I could easily have you find him by giving up ownership, you'll then be his Shinigami and can kill him if he's dangerous. Then you could return to me with his and my death notes."

"…That is true…."

The two reached the front doors of the television studio, oblivious to B as he rose to his feet and stared after them, lips twisted in a smirk.

A/N: End of Chapter, please review.

Maan, I finally found time and inspiration to finish this chapter, I'm sorry it took so long to update, but until just recently I couldn't come up with ideas for this story. In an effort to get motivated I wrote out an outline of what I wanted future chapters to contain, after which I found myself motivated to write a future chapter rather than the directly next one. So now I have an ending planned out and almost fully written, but the scenes between this chapter's and the ending chapter's are yet to be written. But I'm closer now more than ever to finishing this fanfic, and the only thing I haven't decided is what is going to happen to Misa and Rem. I…there's no way I can say more without giving away the ending, so I guess that's it for this author note.


	22. Conscience

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 21

Evening approached, silent and swift; B, clothed all in black and body pressed against a concrete wall, drenched in shadow, studied the road before him with hungry eyes. It'd been too long since he'd felt the thrill - the ecstasy of stalking prey. The idea of biding his time as his sought-for victim ambled along, oblivious to the thoughts of carnage wrapping his brain with thoughts of murder, terrorized his ambivalent conscience. His whole body flooded with the impulse to attack his prey, yet this time - this time he would simply watch. The conversation he'd overheard that afternoon still chilled him with glee and a flame of fear. Caution, his mind told him, caution - his current prey had an inhuman guardian.

He heard her approach before he saw her; talking with the Shinigami, her voice carried, and he licked his lips. The idea of silencing her, of ripping her corpse into a beautiful puzzle of limbs held tight its hold on his imagination - using the death note wasn't the same as feeling the blood on his hands, of smelling its coppery scent. Anyone could kill if all they had to do was write down a name. A list of death, like a grim reaper legend, with Death claiming its victims indifferently. It was the distance that made it easy, made it plausible to deny any claims of guilt upon the conscience for the death.

It was a strange fact of human nature that death lost its impact the less proximal it was, and one didn't feel a murderer until he faced his victim, felt the blood on his hands, the weight of the gun or knife, or the numbness of his fingers after strangling his poor prey.

It was his one advantage over Kira. B knew how to kill. Though it had felt distant between his obsession and the knowledge that his victims were to die regardless of his actions, he had felt the thrill of murder. The awful dominance of its control.

'_Misa Amane. You're safe until I get rid of that wretch Shinigami.' _B watched as the model entered through the apartment complex doors, the Shinigami Rem following.

0

Light scowled as he lowered himself on his bed, sleep a distant stranger to his body. His thoughts raged against slumber, against being home while that detective continued combing through data with renewed focus. Yue's return had torn holes into all his plans, and Yue's meddling had allowed the taskforce to learn things he'd rather they hadn't.

'_I wasn't naïve enough to think L would never doubt Kira killed only with heart attacks, but I hoped it'd take longer than it did. The only thing remaining to my advantage is that L doesn't know about the death note. That will only last until whoever has the other death note is captured - I agree with L that Yue must've found second Kira somehow and sent that Kira's death note to an accomplice.' _Light pillowed his arms beneath his head, eyes focused on the ceiling as he thought. His eyebrows pulled together, he listened for Ryuk, expecting the Shinigami to whine for apples or from boredom. _'What is Ryuk up to? Nobody else is home, but….' _He sighed and closed his eyes. He needed to clear his mind; to prevent L from finding out any more damaging info he needed to find Yue's accomplice first.

'_According to L, B has escaped the prison where he was confined - however, other than that L refuses to release any info on B. At least not in my presence…..That makes it difficult, but there is the chance that Yue didn't send it to B….after all Yue would have to know B escaped. I doubt Yue would be stupid enough to leave the death note with second Kira, but….how did Yue send it? It'd have to be before his most recent suicide attempt. If I were Yue, I'd send it to someone I could trust, someone I knew, but that others didn't know I knew….' _Light rose from his reclining position, as a memory of an email he'd read on Yue's cell-phone jumped from the back of his thoughts. _'That message, from 'Tenichi'. It's possible Yue sent it to him….' _Adrenaline gushed through his blood - he knew. Beyond logic, in the marrow of his twin-ship with Yue, he knew Tenichi was the one he sought. _'Yue's second cell-phone should have Tenichi's number or email…if I can find it, I can contact him and set up a meeting….my voice is similar to Yue's, so I'm sure I can convince Tenichi I'm Yue over the phone….'_

Light opened his door and stepped into the hallway; his elation diminished slightly as the sound of Ryuk's chuckling reached his ears. The Shinigami appeared to already be in Yue's room. Light's eyes narrowed as he opened his brother's door. He hadn't entered his brother's room since 5 years ago - shortly after hearing that his twin refused to return home from their aunt's. Growing up, he'd constantly felt annoyed by Yue, resentful at how Yue's attitude seemed to bail him out of trouble or helped him easily make friends. Until the last year of junior high, when he learned how to blend in, Light seemed to always alienate others - attracting only those who simply wanted to brag about being friends with a genius.

Light grimaced, a chill passing through him as he stepped toward the desk; he wouldn't allow himself to feel resentful - to dredge up the sense of abandonment - loss - he'd felt back then. It had no connection to the present.

"Ryuk, what are you doing?" The brunet questioned the Shinigami, his chocolate eyes coldly observing Ryuk rummaging through Yue's backpack placed beside the desk. His eyes widened a sliver at the shiny red apple peeking out from the bag.

"Oh. Yue wrote a message saying I could have these apples if I promised not to interfere."

"….you not interfering is fine, but if Yue left you a message it means he knows about you." Light closed his eyes briefly. _'…though it's not like Yue can be much of a threat while he's in a coma.' _Ignoring the Shinigami, he started searching through his brother's desk; opening and rummaging through the drawers without caution. In the third drawer he opened - the first two being practically empty - a CD-Rom glared up at him within its plastic case; 7123 inscribed with a black sharpie on its otherwise blank surface.

'…_.7,1,2,3.…that's the same number from that email message….but….the way each number is written makes it look boxy. Like a child drew them.' _Light picked up the CD, opening the case without thinking; the echo of a memory gnawed at the recesses of his brain. The number - no, more the way the number was written - jumped out at him, refusing to release its hold on his concentration. _'A child…wait, the way Yue wrote this reminds me how he wrote when we were in elementary school. It was easy to tell his handwriting apart from mine then, since he enjoyed making his letters look like numbers, just reversed or flipped….'_

Light blinked. _'That's what this is. Yue meant for 7,1,2,3 to be substituted for letters - English alphabet letters….that's why it's familiar. 7123 is Liue, the name he and I came up with when we were kids. The first two letters of my name written in English and the last two of his.' _Light chuckled bitterly, messaging his temples as he sat down on Yue's computer chair. _'It's stupid that I didn't realize it sooner. Well, Yue obviously meant this disc for me…._' Light flipped open the lid of his brother's laptop which he'd also found in the drawer, and pressed the power button. He then waited, his ears keen for any sound of the front door opening. He was certain he could fool his mother or Sayu, but he'd rather not to have to deal with questions about why he was in Yue's room.

Face stoic and eyes focused on the screen, Light inserted the disc into the CD-Rom drive and waited - he had to see what Yue had left, and if it contained anything dangerous, he planned to destroy it.

"….hm?" Light's eyes widened slightly then narrowed as a pass-code screen popped up; below the space in which to enter the password was the sentence: One try only. _'So I only get one chance to unlock this disc. At least I know Yue wasn't being completely idiotic by leaving this here. It's possible that he has the disc set up to delete itself or completely lock itself if the correct password isn't entered on the first try.' _Light bit down on his inner cheeks, his eyes focused on the screen; beside him he heard Ryuk munching on the apples Yue had left in his backpack. _'….one attempt to enter a password only Yue and I know. It can't be anything from junior high since we barely got along and Yue ran away. And since we created the name Liue in elementary school, the pass-code most likely is something from that time. Yue wouldn't be stupid enough to use liue or 7123 at the pass-code.'_

He leaned back on the chair and glanced at the ceiling, his eyebrows knitted together. Remembering his elementary school years, and especially those times with Yue, was difficult. After Yue ran away he'd expended so much mental energy to pretend Yue didn't exist, to block out all recollection of his brother, that when he tried to recall them, they were all blurred. He closed his eyes and massaged his temple.

'_If it's a specific time, I could focus and remember, but just trying to remember everything about Yue and I growing up gives me a headache. The pass-code would have to be something Yue believed I would remember, but it can't be something that's public information or L could find out about it…..it's something that we know that has to do with 7123 or liue…..but that no one else could figure out…..' _Chocolate eyes widened and tightly pursed lips parted, as Light returned his attention to the laptop screen. He smirked. _'Of course, the date we created the name Liue….the day after our eighth birthday. We'd know it, but no one else would.'_

"Hey, Light…." Ryuk began, hovering beside the brunet and holding a backpack empty of apples. A question had suddenly occurred to the Shinigami. "If Yue's in the hospital, how is he supposed to get me more apples?"

'_Of course it's impossible, Ryuk.' _Light thought silently but otherwise ignored the Shinigami; he entered in the pass-code, confident, though his heart still pounded. Depending on what Yue left on the CD, he'd have to destroy it. There was something about it, something concerning Yue that gnawed at him from within. It was fear, but of what or why, Light didn't know. _'I'll think about it after I check out the files on this disk.'_

_- Light, you and I both know the truth. - _Yue's voice came from the speakers as the first file, an audio file, auto-played from the disk. The suddenness of it surprised Light, though he noted that the volume wasn't set that high.

'_And what truth is that, Yue?' _Light mentally questioned, though with a sneer on his lips. He knew what Yue meant, but wondered if his twin would foolishly say it on the disk. Leaning forward to hear better, Light listened to his brother's recording, his heart thumping.

_- Yes, the truth. You know what I mean, and it is pointless to doubt that I know. I don't plan on denouncing you to those whom the truth concerns, instead I request that you abandon your grandiose schemes. Not through confessing or admitting the truth, but just to do nothing more. If you do not, if you persist with your deluded scheme, then I…..-_

His brown eyes burning with anger and his facial muscles tensed with rage, Light closed out of the file, not needing to hear more. That his brother would be stupid enough to tell him to give up when his plans were getting closer to success…..Light needed no more proof of his brother's foolishness, nor evidence of which side Yue chose.

'Yue, that you know and haven't told anyone yet will be your fatal mistake. Once L is dealt with, I will make sure you never wake up.' The brunet glared at the laptop screen, arms crossed; it took him a second longer to realize that the audio file he'd just exited from had disappeared from the disk files. _'Did Yue set each file to delete itself once it is closed? That alleviates some of my worries in case it got into the wrong hands, but I'll still destroy it once I'm through combing through the files….'_

Light barely touched the computer mouse when the next file opened, displaying an image of a lined sheet of paper. An ordinary sheet of paper, yet Light's eyes widened as he read the words written on the page. It was the details of Hirose's death, all of them, including those that pointed towards the Los Angeles B.B murders.

'_This is a scan of a death note sheet…Yue….he is the one who killed Hirose and that other person…'_ Light paused and scrolled down to the next page contained in the file. _'Yes, that information is here too….I…if it's as L said and these suicide are connected to the B.B. murders…then there must be at least two more. And….'_ He scrolled down further, smirk appearing on his face as he read the details of the third suicide, along with the victim's name and place of death. _'It's in two more days….and it's not far from here; it's….at an elementary school? But that….'_ Light froze, recalling the information L had told them earlier about the B.B. murders. One of B's victims had been a thirteen year old. _'Yue couldn't have written a child's name using the death note….it….that hypocrite, he's against me killing those who deserve to die, yet he's willing to kill innocent people and perhaps even a child? That's….'_

"Yue, if this third victim _is_ a child….I don't care if you're for or against me, to kill a child, especially with the death note….I'll make sure you regret it. Hypocrite." Light clenched his teeth and fist, his stomach twisting with nausea. Since first becoming Kira, he'd made a point of not writing down the names of any one under the age of 16 in the death note; and those few sixteen and seventeen year olds he did kill had committed heinous crimes. School shootings or violent rapes or murders.

"Light! I want more apples." Ryuk hovered behind the brunet, then placed his feet on the floor while reading the screen Light was glaring at. "Oh, that's an interesting way for someone to die."

"Ryuk, shut up." Light's narrowed eyes remained locked on the laptop screen as he scrolled down to the last page.

0

Lying quietly on the hospital bed in the darkened room, with the steady beep of the machines breaking through the otherwise silent air, Yue opened his eyes. He listened to the sound of footsteps in the hallway as the night nurses made their rounds, and kept his breathing steady and slow.

_'….I'm still alive. That means it's possible...as long as Tenichi doesn't get caught too soon. And if I can get a hold of what I need...' _Yue trembled and closed his eyes, focused on controlling his fear – his whole plan was rash, filled with variables. _'….Light isn't here? Did he not find the CD yet? Or did he simply fail to listen to my message all the way through?'_

Caramel eyes glanced toward the window and the sliver of the silver moon partially hidden by cloud. Yue watched it motionlessly, the expression in his eyes growing colder each passing second. _'If Light continues as Kira...I have no choice but to proceed with my plan...I just wonder if they will be able to live with it.'_

0

A/N: Hello my readers, I hope you're enjoying this fanfic (I guess if you're still reading you must be, hee hee.) It's getting closer and closer to the ending, and I wonder if anyone cares to take a guess as to what I plan to have happen? Hee hee. It's...well, I don't want to give away any hints here, though I'm sure as hell tempted since my muse just wants to finish this fic already.

For those of you who've read my other fanfics, after I'm done with this fic would you'd rather I work on my already-posted stories or post a new one? And which one of my other fics would you want me to work on the most?


	23. Choices

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 22

"Hm? Looks like Yue got me." Light's lips twitched as he read the pop-up requesting another pass-code in order to access the last file on the disk. More specifically it requested the name revealed at the end of the first audio file. "I should've listened to it all, despite him being annoying. Not that it matters now, I know the identity of the third victim, and the date and place of the fourth." He closed his eyes, recalling how the name as well as the death method, of the fourth victim had been edited out of the scanned file. It had surprised him temporarily, but he figured Yue wouldn't want to make it easy for him.

The brunet ejected the disk and shut-down the laptop; he glanced at his cell-phone. He'd received a email message from his mother saying that she and Sayu were just returning from visiting Yue, and asking Light what he'd want for dinner. Annoyed, but playing the dutiful son, he'd replied back that anything would do. '_I have about 15 minutes until they get here….I should try to find Yue's cell-phone before they return.'_

Opening the remaining drawers in Yue's desk revealed them to be empty; if the cell-phone was hidden elsewhere in his brother's room, Light had to wait until tomorrow to search. _'It's possible it's somewhere simpler to find, but….' _He rose from the computer chair and leaned against the desk with his arms in front on the surface of the desk. To the side of him he heard Ryuk, bored, shaking the empty backpack. Light's eyes gleamed as he glanced at the backpack, the idea striking him swiftly, with barely any need to think.

'_The disk Yue left proves that he knew or suspected I'd search his room, and he knows I know about his second cell-phone and Tenichi's message….if he didn't want me to find the phone he'd destroy it, but if he did….he'd leave it in an obvious place.' _Light smirked and grabbed the backpack from Ryuk, groping through the smaller pockets. Within seconds he found the phone and slipped it into his pocket.

0

_- "Someone needs to stay at the hospital and keep watch over Yue-san. Though he's unconscious now, we don't know how long he'll remain so, and if he's been controlled by Kira, he may awaken at any time. Or die at any time. If he hasn't been controlled, then he could still awaken at any time and try to leave…." L stood before them, scratching his left foot with his right, forefinger tapping his bottom lip as he studied them. His dark eyes swept over the group, barely flinching at the angry and frustrated looks - though his explanation of his and Yue's original meeting had curtailed any immediate protests, thoughts of distrust lingered among the taskforce members. 'Yagami-san is out of the question, Aizawa-san looks mutinous and Mogi-san might be more useful remaining here….' The detective's eyes locked on Matsuda, his lips slightly frowning. -_

Matsuda sighed as he walked towards Yue's hospital room and peeked through the door window. _'Why am I the one chosen to watch Yue? Mogi or Aizawa would've been a better choices.' _He sighed again and opened the door, glancing at the bed as he entered. The teen lay softly breathing on the hospital bed; Matsuda yawned and walked toward a chair on the other side of the room. He sat down while observing the teen; the moonlight shone through the unobscured windows and onto Yue's face just above the covers.

'_He seems so peaceful, it's hard to believe he tried to kill himself….it's even more difficult to imagine, seeing as his dyed hair makes him look like Light….' _Matsuda stifled another yawn with a hand placed over his mouth. Next he crossed his arms and leaned back, eyes focused on the teen though his mind wandered - learning of the relationship between L and Yue had surprised him. That it may have started before the teen turned 18 unnerved him. _'….I feel bad for Ryuzaki, Aizawa-san and Yagami-san are both upset at him having a recent relationship with Yue-san, and neither believe Ryuzaki told the truth when he said nothing happened when he and Yue first met.'_

Matsuda closed his eyes, falling victim to sleep though he knew he should remain awake.

Yue opened his eyes a sliver, listening to Matsuda's breathing as it slowed from sleep. Five minutes, ten minutes passed without movement from the officer before Yue dared to sit up.

'_I'm glad it's Matsuda-san. If anyone else was sent as a guard, I'd be stuck feigning unconsciousness…..' _He gazed around the room and slowly exhaled, before his eyes locked on the door. _'I can't stay here though, that'll be no better than just running away….I…I need to stop Light…..'_

0

_- Tenichi, I wish to meet with you about that notebook I sent -_

B read the email as he closed the apartment door, and pulled off his hoodie. He studied it without blinking, index finger at his lips - he chewed on the nail, oblivious to the pain as he bit the skin. He checked the email address as he continued to the kitchen; his eyes gleamed dangerously as he grabbed a jar of strawberry jam from the fridge.

B placed both the jam jar and the phone on the kitchen table, grabbing his hair roughly with his pale fingers. The wild look in his eyes spreading to the rest of his face. The temptation to dial Yue's number fought with his urge to simply laugh.

"The notebook Yue sent? Hah, you mean had sent to me - Yue only sent me a few sheets of death note. Second Kira sent me the notebook." A wild laugh escaped B while he opened the jar and stuck his fingers inside the delicious crimson goo. The strawberry scent filled his nostrils, and he licked the sweet jam from his pale fingers. "Yue would not have made that mistake. And Second Kira wouldn't have access to Yue's cell-phone."

B kicked off his shoes and used his toes to pull off the socks adorning his feet.

"It could be a trap set by L, but if he knew of the notebook's existence, he'd already have Kira in custody….that just leaves Kira himself, but….why would he have access to Yue's cell-phone? How…?" B dug deeper into the jam jar, his fiery eyes locked on the cell-phone while his tongue savored the succulent sweetness on his fingers. He glanced toward the counter, on which a framed photograph sat. One of him and Yue. "Yue still has a lifespan in that photo….if Kira is part of Yue's family that'll explain why Yue wants to mislead the investigation….but I'm sure Kira wouldn't be bothered with killing his own family if need be…."

'_Kira sending me that message - trying to pass himself off as Yue….he knows that Yue knows about him, and knows that I'm connected to Yue's plan. That….Kira not killing Yue yet means that he can't….that there's some reason he's reluctant to kill Yue.' _B bit into his index finger, the wild glint back in his eyes; he stopped biting, ignoring the pain from his assaulted finger as his lips curled into a smirk. "Of course, Yue did say he and his brother - Light - share the same written name. His twin brother…."

B laughed and leaned back on the chair he'd barely realized he'd sat down upon. _'So, Kira is Light Yagami….and he wants to meet with me, believing I'm Yue's friend 'Tenichi.' Should I have fun with this? Or would it be more prudent to expect that L already suspects my involvement as well as already suspects Light Yagami is Kira? Yue's actions - finding Second Kira and having her send the death note to me, writing those deaths that clearly point to my murders - were rash. If L didn't already suspect his brother, Yue would've thought out a different plan…..So L must already suspect his brother.' _B brought his knees to his chest and licked a trace of jam from his left thumb while he picked up the cell phone with his right hand. _'How should I respond to this….should I meet with Kira? Should I join him? Should I kill him? Should I have him lead me to L so I can kill them both? I wonder…..'_

0

Surprised by the cell-phone vibrating in his pocket, Matsuda awoke, jumping out of his seat and crashing onto the floor. It took only a few seconds, as he rubbed his elbow to get rid of the pain from it hitting the floor, to remember where he was, and a few more seconds to recall why he was there.

'_Oh crap, I fell asleep. I hope it wasn't long….' _He sighed in relief after a glance at his wristwatch told him it'd only been a little over ten minutes. "I'm glad, ten minutes shouldn't have been enough time for Yue to…." He muttered as he grabbed the relentlessly vibrating phone from his pocket and stood up, glancing at the hospital bed.

It was empty.

"Oh shit." He cursed, not realizing he'd already pressed the call-answer button on his phone. "Ryuzaki is going to kill me…."

_- "….Matsuda-san, don't tell me you loss track of Yue already…." L seemed to growl over the phone, though with his natural monotone it was difficult to tell. -_

"Eep! Ryuzaki-san, I….." Matsuda paled and placed the phone to his ear, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. "Um, well…."

_- "….I'll take that as a yes." -_

"I….I….I'm sorry, I….."

_- L sighed, though showed no sign of surprise at the officer's incompetence. "Come back to the hotel, Matsuda-san. There's been a new development…." -_

0

A/N: I'm currently working on writing and publishing my own Boy's Love novel on amazon, (which is one reason why it's taking a while for me to update my fanfics.) I have the first chapter done with 5,000 words for the chapter, and I'm planning to start working on the second chapter over this coming week (I have a lot of notes from a rough draft written already, but I plan on rewriting much of it).


	24. Variables

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 23

Darkly shadowed eyes stared at the TV, focused on the headlines flashing across the screen; L picked up a panda cookie from the box beside his teacup and popped it into his mouth. The small, chocolate filled cookie crumbled apart beneath his teeth, delivering its sugary taste to the detective's tongue and stimulating his brain. Behind his crouched form the taskforce officers too watched the TV screen, horror heavily depicted on their faces.

"This is a disaster…" One of the officers muttered, and though the detective recognized the voice, he was too preoccupied to place it; knowing who said what wouldn't change the headlines or the drastic flip they caused to the Kira investigation. Thirty minutes had passed since the mass-murder around the globe of the world's religious leaders by someone claiming to be Kira.

"….Kira has actually declared himself god…." Another voice from behind the detective spoke, his tone filled with disbelief. The officer almost forgot to breathe as he listened to the playback of what the News stated was a message from Kira. The voice on the tape wasn't at all distorted and the speaker did nothing to hide the laughter inherent beneath his soft tone as he spoke, demanding the world to bow down to him.

L tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowed beneath the black strands of hair that fell onto the detective's face. He recognized the voice, though even if he hadn't the purpose behind the message and deaths gave it away. He reached for his empty teacup and refilled it with 90% sugar and 10% tea. "This isn't Kira."

" 'Isn't Kira?' Ryuzaki-san, this is….they were ALL heart attacks! It has to be Kira…."

"It is Kira's power, but it isn't Kira. The real Kira wouldn't risk something like this – or rather he wouldn't need to…." The detective took a sip of his tea, holding the cup with his right hand while his left clung angrily to his leg. "...this is the worst thing to happen for the investigation."

"That's right...if the public accepts Kira as God..."

"That's not what I meant." L placed the teacup on the saucer, his bare left foot scratching his right – the next second he picked up another panda cookie and pressed it against his lips. He breathed in its sweet scent and glared at the TV screen; his brain swimming with thought upon thought. He pooped the chocolate filled cookie into his mouth and savored the sweetness. "The purpose of this maneuver isn't to strengthen Kira but to destroy him..."

"How does this...?" Matsuda began, his voice trailing off as he scratched his head and glanced around.

"I get what Ryuzaki means. By killing the world's religious leaders and declaring himself god, this 'Kira' will actually turn the majority of people against him."

"Correct. The world isn't ready to accept anyone directly declaring themselves God – and the fact that this 'Kira' has killed religious leaders to enforce his declaration will only succeed in alienating those who truly believe in Kira from those who don't."

"But isn't is a good thing that Kira will lose public support? It'll make more people want to find him..."

"Ryuzaki-san, how can we be sure this is real and not a fake broadcast? Like the Lind L Tailor one?" Aizawa eyed the detective as the question rolled from his lips, arms folded across his chest.

L slowly glanced at Aizawa, his eyes shadowed a little, but not obscured, by his hair.

"...while I do have influence over the media and governments worldwide, I do not have the power to create such a hoax." The detective slipped his forefinger and thumb around the teacup's handle and lifted it to his lips. He took a sip of the amber liquid, sweetened to excess. "It is further impossible to plan something it never occurred to me to do." L tilted his head back and drunk the rest of the tea, the last drops the most saturated with sugar. After emptying the cup he placed it down on the table, a slight pout on his lips. The dejected mien remained for a handful of seconds longer before L glanced upward and tapped his bottom lip with his thumb. "Even if it had occurred to me to pull such a stunt, I wouldn't chance using such a dangerous, uncertain trick. This current maneuver is a double-edge sword. While the general public, who favor their own religions more than Kira, will be vehemently against Kira, justice won't matter to them. Not justice of the law. They'll want Kira's blood. The public will demand the police produce Kira, and there will be riots if we cannot. And if we do produce Kira...if Kira is killed by a mob, justice won't be served and Kira would possibly die a martyr in his follower's eyes."

"Ryuzaki-san..." Aizawa paused and glanced back at the television displaying the coverage of the recent development. He understood, and believed, the detective's denial of orchestrating the possible hoax, but the voice on the tape gnawed at him.

L glanced at Aizawa again, reading the conflict on the man's face – he tilted his head. He grasped the origin of the officer's suspicions immediately and was slightly disappointed that the other officers hadn't picked up what Aizawa did.

"...I already know the identity of this Kira." The detective picked up a sugar cube from a bowl beside the box of panda cookies and popped it into his mouth. He hardly blinked as his words and his nonchalant tone drew his companions' attentions. Before the questions escaped their startled lips, he left his chair and approached the TV. "The culprit behind this is B. He used his own voice on the tape."

"His voice? But the voice on the tape sounds like..."

L merely tilted his head a few degrees to observe Aizawa, waiting for the officer to finish – instead Aizawa's voice trailed off. In the seconds that proceeded, the news station rebroadcast the message in which 'Kira' declared himself god. L narrowed his eyes slightly, listening to B's voice – it was the same tone and speech pattern his failed replacement had used during the Los Angeles B.B murders under the alias of Rue Ryuzaki. The voice that could be mistaken as his.

"Ryuzaki...this voice..."

"It doesn't sound exactly like yours, but..."

"It is B. When he challenged me two years ago he copied all my mannerisms and dressed up in similar fashion...I won't go into how he was able to figure those things out since it endangers more than just myself, but I will provide any other information needed to capture him."

"Ryuzaki..."

"Further, I will remain indoors with Watari until B is found – if you come across anyone who resembles me, inform Watari or myself immediately and bring that person in for questioning. But please practice extreme caution since B obviously now has the same power as Kira, and he will not hesitate to use it to kill anyone connected to this case."

"...Ryuzaki-san. What are we going to do about Yue-san? We need to find him..."

L chewed on his thumbnail, his eyes inexpressible as he continued to watch the TV screen.

_'Yue's actions are enigmatic – is he being controlled or is he not? If he's being controlled we should follow him, but with caution...and if he's not being controlled we should still follow him...no, our priority should be finding and catching B, Kira's power in his hand is more dangerous than it being in Light's or Yue's...but, how did B get Kira's power? Could he have found Second Kira and stolen it...? Or did Yue perhaps...?'_ L loosened his teeth around his thumbnail and rubbed the digit over his bottom lip. _'Second Kira showed up after Yue threw himself into traffic...and it wasn't just predestined deaths, Second Kira killed some of the police officers who showed up to stop the broadcast...Second Kira disappeared afterward and it couldn't have been Yue who stopped him...'_

"Finding Yue is important, but our priority should be tracking down B...he's more of a threat..."

"Ryuzaki! Yue's my son and whether he was controlled or not, he tried to kill himself...he's a danger to himself!"

L closed his eyes, listening to Souichiro; part of him agreed with the police chief – the part that made his heart ache and feel heave. _'I shouldn't have become involved with Yue...it'll make it harder to prioritize B...'_

The pale skinned detective opened his eyes, biting roughly on this thumb. The pain steadied his thoughts, allowing him to split them from his emotions. "...B takes priority in this case." L began, still chewing on this thumb. He paused, tasting the rawness of his flesh as he bit deep enough to draw blood. He dimly heard Souichiro and Aizawa's shouts of protest behind him, his thoughts bombarding his brain. _'That's wrong...it doesn't make sense. If this is B's doing now,_ _then the recent open-air suicides that point towards B were not his doing...and that Hirose was the first victim points toward it being Yue's doing. That I'm sure of...which means he'd got his hands on either Second Kira's or Kira's power...and he got it before his latest suicide attempt. Before Second Kira showed up...it, it seems absurd but it is possible that he found Second Kira and controlled him some how, perhaps got rid of him...in that case, Yue's suicide attempt is then a method for him to escape suspicion...at least temporarily. And if he gave Second Kira's power to B before he...that's were it is most absurd. Yue doesn't know B is alive, so how could he transfer Second Kira's power to...'_ L blinked, his eyes widening a miniscule amount before narrowing twice as much. A frown on his lips.

"Ryuzaki, I won't just..."

_'Of course. It's simple. Yue doesn't know what B looks or sounds like. Their only communication was over the internet through that website. Neither knew what the other one looked like, but that wouldn't have stopped B from tracking Yue. All B needed to do was approach Yue using a pseudonym...then he'd...' _

"Ryu..."

"...we should look for both B and Yue." L piped up, cutting into Souichiro's protest and surprising the police chief. Before Souichiro could misunderstand the reason for his words, L explained. "There's an 80 percent chance that Yue could lead us to B – which could then lead to finding evidence that can aid in arresting Kira."

"Ryuzaki, you still think that Yue's the one who..."

"Yue had a motive to kill Hirose, and he's the only one who has a motive and the knowledge necessary to try to hinder the investigation by pointing the clues towards B being Kira..."

"But that...you suspect Yue planned this out to lead suspicion away from Light...that...but why would he try to kill himself then? He..."

"That was probably part of his plan as well. As an alibi..."

"Ryuzaki! Yue could have died!"

"...yet he only sustained light injuries..."

"That doesn't mean it was an act! His method wasn't something less risky like taking an overdose – he ran straight into traffic! It's a miracle that he didn't get seriously injured..."

"That is peculiar..." L pulled at his bottom lip, the next moment staring at the ceiling in thought. His eyes widened and his skin paled a shade as an idea flashed through his brain, engulfing him with a wave of certainty. He lowered his hands to his sides and stared back at the floor, eyes obscured by his black hair. "We'll focus on finding Yue."

0

Yue stared numbly at the department store's display window, the stack of television sets showing the news.

_'What is Tenichi doing? This will ruin everything I set up...this voice though, it sounds like...'_ Yue shook his head, dispelling the thought. "...I don't have time to deal with this. I..."

Yue shivered at a sudden breeze that passed by and pulled the thin hospital shirt tighter around him. In order to not take too much time upon sneaking out he'd simply changed his pants and kept the hospital shirt on. A decision he began to regret as the night sky darkened with cloud.

"Was it a mistake to give the notebook to Tenichi?" The college student mumbled before turning away from the display window, his bare feet sore. The hum and whoosh of cars passing by filled his ears, somehow soothing to him though his heart thumped. _'I wonder if I can go through with it all, I...what am I thinking. It is already set. I've already written their names...'_ He dug his hand into his pocket and felt the heavy-duty glass bottle he'd pilfered from an hospital storeroom. Slowly and deliberately he breathed out, attempting to calm his threatening-to-race heart.

"All that's needed now is to make sure Tenichi doesn't screw everything up."

The sudden intake of breath behind him and the laugh that accompanied it immediately after froze Yue. It was a sound strangely familiar and at the same time chillingly unknown. Like the voice echoing from the television News.

"Heh, sorry for ruining your plans, but they didn't interest me."

"Tenichi!" Yue pivoted around, his eyes widening as they locked on his friend. "Wha...wait, you..."

B laughed as he punched Yue in the gut, winding and knocking out the teen. The next moment he slipped his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number.


	25. Meetings

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 24

_- "Hey!" A voice called to Yue as the seventeen year old walked away from the courthouse. His eyes lowered, he slowly raised them in the direction of the nearby police station. The voice behind him once gain called out. "Hey, you. Ya…."_

_Yue's heart skipped as the stranger grabbed his arm, his breath caught in his throat. The voice and touch intruded upon the thought that passed through his brain and wrapped him so completely in its snare. He barely heard the voice and failed to catch the sudden halt in its call._

"_I saw you in the courthouse - it looked like you wanted to clobber that lady…."_

"…_.who are you?" The teen asked, glancing over the dark haired, fair skinned stranger dressed in a suit. It looked slightly outlandish on the man who seemed only a few years older than Yue._

"_Oh, I work part time as a clerk in the courthouse. The name's Tenichi." The stranger responded casually, though there was a strange twitching of his lips, and the intensity of his gaze bewildered Yue momentarily. It seemed the stranger was silently chastising himself for something. _

"_I'm not in the mood to talk." Yue started to turn away, but the man refused to loosen his grip. "Let…."_

"…_.you want to get a new trial for a friend of yours, right?" Tenichi interrupted, at the same time releasing Yue's arm._

"_You…."_

"_I overheard your argument. Sorry. However, I think I might be able to help. I know people who can speed things along."_

_Yue's eyes widened in wonder at the stranger, barely able to believe his words. -_

0

Yue woke abruptly from a sudden kick to his stomach, the taste of blood in his mouth; blood that came from a busted lip. He cringed then coughed, the next moment flinching at the sudden sensation of a hand on his shoulder.

"Heh. I'm not going to hurt you. Not yet." B laughed, his wild eyes watching as the teen ignored him and tried to move. The sharp cut of the handcuffs digging into Yue's wrists caused the teen to pause, the next moment discovering that his legs shared the same predicament.

"Tenichi, why…."

B stepped on Yue's face and laughed, the tone spiked with bitterness and disappointment.

"To think I ever considered you useful…." He scoffed and pressed his barefoot firmer against Yue's cheek. "You fell for my disguise and that detective's lies. You even failed to notice how I almost called you by name when we first met….."

"Tenichi….."

"Wrong." Contempt flashed across B's face as he spat out the word, his lips twitching as he picked up a pistol from the table. Its metal gleaming under the single florescent bulb hanging from the ceiling. "To think you got to do _that _with L….."

Yue swallowed, eyes shut tightly. His heart and head pounded in rebellion, desiring flight even though his limbs were bound. He heard his friend's words, the anger in them and meaning behind them flitted just beyond the grasp of his throbbing brain. _'Tenichi….why?'_

His friend's appearance flashed before his closed eyes; the clothes he wore and the way he styled his hair - it was all identical to L. Yet Yue knew by the burn scars that crept around the man's neck and continued beneath his shirt, as well as by the wild glint in his otherwise expressionless eyes, that it wasn't the detective.

He swallowed, his pulse racing as he struggled to form his thoughts into words. He understood but his brain rebelled at the idea. This wasn't Tenichi either - or rather Tenichi hadn't been who he thought. _'He helped with my investigation. He attempted to help with Taeku at least until Taeku died, I…..'_

"I'm not going to spell it out for you. You either figure it out, or…." The crick of the hammer being cocked back on the pistol echoed the unspoken threat.

Instead of flinching at the sound of the gun, Yue merely opened his eyes and exhaled.

"...B."

0

_Dark eyes peeked out from beneath a mass of unkempt black hair. Its dark hue brought out the paleness of the man's skin while the white shirt he wore attempted to counter that effect._

_'Though the probability is only 58% that B had an accomplice who hacked into the L.A database and passed the info on to him, if there is an accomplice there's a 80% chance he or she will come here.' L viewed his surroundings, his pupils reflecting the sullenness of the night. Though B had been captured, there still remained questions to be answered. Questions that no amount of interrogation seemed able to wring from his failed replacement._

_'B hasn't uttered a sound since he was arrested. Not even when I interrogated him...'_

_L sighed._

_'The person who hacked the database might just be someone B used and so knows nothing about B's plan, but...' The detective brought his thumb to his lip and stared before him, unseeing. 'A few days before B's attempted fourth 'murder', an unknown person sent in a solved version of the crossword B sent forecasting his murders. This person may be the accomplice or may simply be innocent. The chances of me finding him or her is about 9%...'_

_The city around him buzzed with noise and the humdrum of life. The darkened skies lessened the keenness of his vision; his tongue craving sweets._

_He walked a few steps toward the main thoroughfare, passing near a club._

_'Wha...' The detective's gaze locked on a teen with dark hair streaked with yellow and a wistful aura in his expression. There was something about the teen that lulled his attention, something that invigorated his brain, yet before he could figure out what it was the teen approached him._

"Yue." L whispered and stared out the hotel window, the room behind him empty except for Watari. Twenty-five minutes had passed since the task force officers each left to search for Yue and B, and it was fifteen minutes since he received the phone call.

"Ryuzaki, that phone call..."

"Don't tell anyone, Watari. There's nothing the task force can help with. It'll make things worse if..."

"But B has Yue, that..."

L glanced out the window, his eyes livid beneath the shadows cast by his hair. His reflection stared back at him. "...B also knows about Wammy's House."

Watari's wrinkled eyes widened, his lips parting then closing, the opening again to speak.

"You mean B, he's..."

"B threatened flat out that he will kill all the orphans there using Kira's power if I don't do what he says."

"That..." Watari fell silent, horror stricken.

"If that the task force gets involved, it'd just make things worse."

"But..." Watari approached L. "Not even B should know the real names of the children there. They should be safe."

"...unless he has the same power as Second Kira." L glided his fingers over the window in thought, then clenched them into a fist. "There was always something I didn't understand about B's murders in L.A. Why didn't his victims struggle? There was never a sign of any of them fighting back before their deaths...that was always odd." L mumbled.

"Ryuzaki..."

"...I have no proof that it's the case, but my instinct tells me that B isn't bluffing – that he can kill the children at Wammy's, at least those who were there when he was." L leaned against the window, pressing his forehead against the cold surface.

_'B...what is your plan? You...You want me to arrest Second Kira? But I have no proof that Second Kira is who you said...and there's .01% chance that this is not a trap...'_

The detective pushed away from the window.

"B wants me to arrest Second Kira in person. No middlemen, no gimmicks. Just a confrontation between myself and Second Kira."

"That's...too dangerous, and besides Second Kira disappeared." Watari reached for the detective, who pulled away from his grasp. The threat to the children at Wammy's House hung in the air, bringing fear and pain to Watari's face. "Ryuzaki..."

"B gave me Second Kira's name over the phone. As well as where to find her a few days from now." L turned toward Watari and met the man's wizen eyes. "I'll do as B says. I'll confront Misa Amane."

0

"Heh. Should I shoot you now or wait?" B sneered, his wild eyes locked on Yue. The teen shivered on the floor, still bound. "To think you were able to seduce L..." The raven-haired man spat out those words, his eyes roaming over Yue's curled body, livid.

Cruelty, almost like lust, gleamed from his eyes; their red tint intense.

"Not only that...you thought you could also use me, as your friend 'Tenichi', to take the fall as Kira while you helped your brother escape suspicion...Assumed I would follow your plans..." B spat, grinding the pistol's barrel into the teen's right temple.

Yue shuddered, the touch of cold steel against his head enough to chill his bones. The pain of B attempting to stab him with the pistol nauseated him; the soreness of his abdomen dulled beneath the fear.

"...why didn't you tell me who you were? All that time in the States, and then after I returned to Japan..." The bound brunet swallowed, his voice just a few decibels above a whisper.

"Why should I have had to? It's your fault for not realizing it sooner." B growled, then sat down on Yue's side. The pistol leaving the teen's temple, replaced instead by B's hot breath. The raven-haired man's face centimeters away from the brunet's skin felt more menacing than the gun.

Yue cringed as B grabbed his hair and then muffled Yue's mouth with his own. The man's lips hungrily devoured the brunet's, B's tongue forcing it's way into Yue's mouth.

'_Wh...' _Yue tensed, his entire body chilled by B's ministrations. Limbs bound and his torso trapped beneath B's body, he could do nothing to resist. His pulse pounded on his eardrums as a hand slid beneath his shirt.

"No. Stop it." He gasped after he managed to escape B's mouth, his eyes glossy with increasing anger. "B..."

"When you and that detective had sex, did he do this?" B nibbled on Yue's ear, his body pressed close to the brunet's. Yue shivered beneath his hot breath, and then the touch of his tongue as he moved to the teen's neck and sucked on the supple flesh there.

"Stop."

"Heh. No." B sneered, placing the pistol on the floor beside them.

0

"No way..." A voice mumbled in front of a TV in a darkened room; the News headline about the massacre illuminated on the screen. "No..."

The voice trembled with anger – disbelief.

"Misa..."

Chapter End

A/N: Ah, finally, I managed to finish this chapter! It was difficult because when I had it halfway written my computer crashed and I misplaced the flash drive I saved the file on. After fearing it lost forever, I found the flash drive two days ago, and so I was able to complete the chapter. It is getting closer to the end (which I am struggling to not change too much from what I had planned, since that'd make it take longer...)

Thank you to those who reviewed so far and all those who will review coming chapters. I hope to be able to update and finish this story soon. Also, if anyone wants, please visit my website at jeichanhaka dot com. It has all my fanfiction from adultfanfiction dot net, fanfiction dot net (both of my users), as well as many reviews about manga/anime in my blog.


	26. Confrontation

**Futatsu no Tsuki **

**Chapter 25**

B felt the glare - the foreboding sense of danger - before the voice screeched at him. The rage inside the voice was unlike anything he'd experienced. Unworldly.

A voice he'd heard only recently.

"How dare you..." The shinigami growled, her eyes livid and her claws outstretched. Rem swooped down at the man, her eyes murderous-red.

"Wha..." B blinked, barely registering the pain as the shinigami clawed his chest. Blood trickled from his lips as Rem squeezed her claw into his flesh. Her nails reddened with blood.

"How dare you write Misa's name in the death note!" Rem's contorted mouth spat even as her body started to disintegrate. The pain in her words was all B needed to understand.

"You..." He turned to Yue who lay bound and half naked on the floor. The bruised lips curled into a faint smile, too cheerful of an expression for his victim. He snarled. "You little shit..."

"Heh. My plans don't always fall through..."

Rem's eyes widened at Yue's words, comprehending their meaning - and her mistake. "You...You! Argh..."

The shinigami pulled her claw from B's chest and lunged at the bound teen. The attempt too late as punishment for breaking the taboo broke her body into bits of sand.

_'Misa...'_ Rem whispered to herself before dying - the image of the blonde lying motionless in the darkened apartment imprinted behind her eyelids.

Curled in a ball beside a bookcase, a puddle of blood around her beautiful hair - Misa had ceased to breathe in front of Rem's eyes.

The 19 year old model, distraught after watching the news of the massacre and Kira proclaiming himself god, had slit her tongue and throat. Bleeding to death with the apartment door unlocked. She hadn't even listened to Rem and struggled when the shinigami tried to stop her.

Throughout it all Misa's lifespan remained unchanged, revealing a death years away, until it vanished completely.

Kira. The death note. The creator of those bizarre suicides. It was _his _doing, and Rem sought vengeance for the death of her beloved human. Rushing to the new owner of Misa's death note, she'd mistook B for Misa's murderer. And forsaking use of the death note in her revenge, Rem broke the taboo that bound shinigami to using only death notes to kill.

"Misa..."

0

Ryuk stretched out his wings, the roof of Light's house beneath his feet. It was boring. _And _there were no more apples.

"...I wonder if it'll be more interesting following Yue. I'll certainly get more apples from him..." Ryuk stared at the horizon, then above him - flexing his wings before leaving the roof.

0

"Heh, heh heh." Yue laughed bitterly, propped against a concrete wall. His skin and the remainder of his clothes covered in blood, he struggled against the handcuffs binding his arms.

B's immobile form lay face down on the floor, blood spilling from his back and mouth.

"Heh." Yue crouched into a ball, his eyes heavily shadowed by his hair. Knees pulled to his chest and arms bound behind his back, he curled tighter in a fetal position against the wall. The rough concrete comforting. "Heh. So much for the rest of my plan..."

He bit into his lip, splitting open the skin even more. The metallic taste tinged with pain.

"If I can't get these handcuffs off..." He cursed. A few teardrops falling from his obscured eyes and down his pale cheek. His body trembling, he drew in a few breaths - forcing himself to forget what B had done. Rem's arrival had prevented B from going all the way, but the raven-haired man had come close. Too close. "Shit. Shit."

The tears continued. Yue swallowed, breathing deliberately slow in order to prevent himself from audibly crying.

"Fuck..."

Blinking away the blurriness of his vision, Yue lifted his head and studied the room - it appeared to be a sparsely used warehouse or large storage shed. Only a few boxes here and there, and a medium sized crate decorated the room.

The teen swallowed again, his eyes roaming toward the body three feet away. The pistol still rested next to B's corpse, though the pile of shinigami ash had already dispersed and vanished.

"Oh..." Yue gaped at the notebook lying where Rem's remains had been. _'Could that be...?'_

Gritting his teeth, the teen lunged himself away from the wall and wormed toward the notebook. The thread of his jeans hardly protected his knees as he struggled forward on them, still bound.

"...I'm sorry" He whispered once he reached the notebook and flipped it open with his feet. Dipping his big toe into the pool of B's blood, he returned to the notebook and began writing.

0

Raised voices awoke Light, the words said not very clear, though the hysterical tone in his mother's voice jostled him. Sitting up in bed, he listened carefully to the voices and rubbed at his blurry eyes. He glanced at the clock.

_'5:26 am...'_ Light stretched then paused. The sound of footsteps from his sister's room running across the hall reached his ears. Quiet, then a sharp knock on his bedroom door.

"Nii-chan! It's terrible! Yue-nii..." Sayu yelled through the closed door.

_'Wh...Yue..._' Light jumped out of bed and, on his way to the door, noticed that his room was eerily silent. _'...Ryuk isn't here...'_

"Nii-chan!"

"All right, Sayu. What happened?" Light opened the door, partially knowing what his sister would say.

"Yue-nii disappeared from the hospital! And, and..." Sayu was cut off by their father coming upstairs, his authoritarian voice telling Sayu to go to her mother and for Light to come to him. "But..."

"Now Sayu." Souichiro repeated, waiting for her to disappear down the steps before turning to his son.

"What is it, father? Is there something that you can't tell mom and Sayu about?"

"Light..." Souichiro studied his eldest son's face, his own expression brimming with frustration. "L wants to question you. About Yue."

"Why? What's happened to Yue? Sayu says he's disappeared from the hospital, but...is the task force looking for him?"

"Just come on. We can't speak here."

Light glanced over his father, then nodded. After saying he'll be down after getting dressed, he shut the door.

_'I have a strange feeling about this...'_

0

L tapped his lip with his forefinger, his dark eyes staring at his reflection on the windowglass. The world outside just awakening, he ignored it - focusing instead on B's ultimatum.

_'It's a trap going after Second Kira...'_

He continued rubbing his lip as he heard Matsuda switch on the television. The other officers were still searching for Yue, while the youngest had decided to return.

It didn't matter that the youngest officer of the task force was present, it was actually safer for Matsuda who L suspected would easily get himself into dangerous situations when unsupervised. However, it was unexpected that Matsuda would give up on the search.

L glanced at Matsuda's reflection on the windowglass.

_'It seems he's preoccupied with watching TV...'_

"Matsuda-san, why aren't you still out searching for Yue? Weren't you and Yagami-san searching as a team?"

"Chief decided to get Light-san to help instead and told me to come back here." Matsuda replied, slightly nervous being alone with the detective. "There was a News report I caught a glimpse of on my way here and I thought I saw something..."

L watched the officer silently, now and again glancing at the television monitor.

"And that something wa..."

L's eyes widened as his question was answered before he finished asking. A clip playing on Sakura TV News revealed someone that L recognized as B outside an apartment complex. He had sunglasses on and dressed and acted different, yet L recognized him.

There were not too many people walking around with incompletely covered burn scars on their necks and hands.

"B..."

"It is B? I had an hunch when I saw the clip, yet..." Matsuda began, expression like a pet's expecting a reward. "Ryuzaki-san?"

L ignored Matsuda and instead read the News headline - his eyes widening even more.

_'...This News headline says Misa Amane was found dead in her apartment...but that's..._' The detective chewed on his fingernail, listening to the news clip about the up-and-coming model's death. A death that suddenly occurred, an apparent suicide._ '...her apartment door was unlocked when she was found, that's...'_

L scratched the back of his leg with his foot. He tilted his head downward, obscuring his eyes while thinking. It wouldn't make sense if B was behind this. L bit down into his bottom lip.

_'Yue...he must have created this...an open-room suicide to match the others..._' L clenched his teeth, his stomach twisting at the thought of the danger Yue was now in. _'If Yue has disrupted B's plan for my encounter with Misa Amane as Second Kira, then B will...B will...'_

"Yue..." L whispered, bracing himself against allowing his emotion to show. "...Matsuda-san, it is even more urgent that Yue is found soon. It'll take too long to explain why, but Amane-san's death will anger B, and he'll most likely take it out on Yue...Just start searching with the other officers again quickly."

"Wha...Ryuzaki-san..."

"Quickly, Matsuda-san!"

"Ah...yes." Matsuda bowed and left, picking up on the urgency and worry in L's words. His own worries he shook away. _'I didn't get to tell Ryuzaki-san that it didn't seem right when Yagami-san decided to leave and told me to go back to the hotel...I guess it could just be my imagination...'_

0

"Father, where are we headed?" Light asked as he glanced out the car window. His father had been driving for around five minutes longer than it would take him to get to the hotel. The strange feeling gnawing at his stomach refused to lessen, and instead grew stronger each minute.

His father ignored him and continued driving. The gnawing feeling in Light's stomach turned to nauseating fear.

_'Did Yue...no...he wouldn't...'_ Light swallowed, understanding why his father was acting strange. His brother had done the unthinkable._ 'write...father's name...'_

Light jerked back in his seat as the car abruptly stopped, and his father told him to exit. Biting on his inner cheek the elder Yagami twin did as told, the shutting of the car door deadening. After taking a few steps away from the car his father left, heading back towards the main road. The sickening feeling in his gut grew.

"Yue...you..." Light glowered, taking stock of his surroundings. A warehouse loomed in front of him, dark and grimy. It's eeriness lessening as the night sky gave way to daybreak.

_'This ends now, Yue.'_

Light entered the open warehouse door, his eyes and ears riveted to any sign of life. It didn't take him long to reach the single area where a light glowed. His eyes widened as he approached, a body lay motionless on the floor. The stench of blood curdled Light's stomach.

"Yu..." Light glanced closer at the corpse, surprised, the next second shaking his head. _'That must be B...for a second I thought it was...'_

"Hyuk hyuk, things are gonna get interesting now..." Ryuk laughed from above Light, causing the brunet to jump.

"Ryuk! This is where you disappeared to? Why...no. Is Yue still nearby?" Light swallowed back his shock, keeping his anger locked inside. _'If Ryuk decides to help Yue...I'm screwed.'_

"I'm here, aniki." Yue approached his brother from the shadow just beyond the lamp light, his hands messing with the broken handcuffs that refused to budge from his wrists. "You must thank that shinigami of yours for breaking the chains of these handcuffs. Otherwise we wouldn't have had the chance for a one-on-one face-off."

"...Yue, did you write dad's..."

"...regrettably your shinigami didn't get here in time to prevent my desperate attempt to get you here...but depending on who dies now, it might be of some benefit..."

"Yue!"

"...if you win, you won't have to worry about father..." Yue continued coldly, his voice different than what Light was used to. A cold, broken voice - almost like his twin had given up caring.

"Yue, what's..." Light froze as he saw the bruises and torn clothing covering his twin. He glanced back at the body on the floor. "...were you...did that man...rape...you?"

Yue burst into laughter - bitter, crazed laughter that chilled Light. The laughter echoed through the warehouse, strengthening the elder twin's nauseating fear. He could do nothing but watch his brother, even as the younger twin lay a pistol next to the lamp.

"...you sound surprised, aniki. The one constant in my life - and you're surprised by it." More laughter.

Light shivered, his body overcome by the madness of Yue's words. Something seemed to have broken in his brother. "Yue..."

"...my plan was to make you unable to kill as Kira by blinding you, but...hah...what's the point?" The younger twin spoke through his laughter, grasping his knees. The next moment he fell silent, and glared at his brother. His caramel eyes simmered with loathing. "Why...why do I not only always fuck up, but also always do so to protect you?"

"What?" Light flinched. He shook it off and glared back at his brother. "It isn't my fault you always screw up, and when have you ever protected me? I'm the one who saved your life when we were kids."

"...it wasn't your _life_ I protected, aniki." Yue laughed bitterly, covering his forehead with his hand. "It was you that Hirose wanted...he changed my answers on a test thinking it was yours. And Yashima..." Yue tilted his face upward toward the ceiling. "...he threatened to rape you so I killed him."

"Yu..."

"Now I've used that murder notebook even on dad, I..." Yue trembled and bit sharply down on his lip, drawing blood. "And it was all to stop you from being executed as Kira...aniki..."

"...if you really wanted to help, you should've just stood away. Or just done nothing..." Light replied coldly, burying his shock at Yue's words deep beneath a calm exterior. "I never needed your help."

"...yes, that's right..." Yue mumbled, picking up the pistol beside the lamp. "...that's right..."

"Yue..." The color drained from Light's face as his brother aimed the gun at him.

"You've never needed my help at all...never..." Yue stared at his brother, the rims of his eyes slightly damp; the rest of his face devoid of emotion. "...but L does..."

"Yue!" Was all Light could respond as his brother's pressed the trigger, the gunshot reverberating through the warehouse.


	27. Death

Futatsu no Tsuki

Ch. 26

The news playing in the background, L dialed a number; half-standing on the chair, he waited for the other end to answer.

There was none.

_'That's odd. All the officers answered their phones except Yagami-san.'_ L tilted his head, eyes narrowed. _'It's strange...his son's missing, yet Yagami-san isn't answering his phone.'_

L scratched his foot and placed down the phone, his stomach riled by uneasiness and a near certainty of danger.

_'Yue...'_ L glanced back at the television screen, glowering. The next second he moved from the chair and called to Watari.

"I'm going to look for Yue." He said without preamble while staring at Watari, daring him to object.

"Ryusaki-san," Watari sighed. "I won't stop you, but do you have any inkling where B could've taken Yue?" Wizened eyes watched as the detective paused in thought and followed with minimum surprise as L headed toward the laptop.

"...considering that B would want to stay close to where I am, originally hoping I'd be killed by Second Kira, he wouldn't leave the city. Also, after kidnapping Yue, B would avoid traveling by any method that increases the likelihood of me tracking him." Said L as he searched through maps of the city online. _'Also Yue wouldn't have gotten too far from the hospital before B found him.'_

The detective chewed on his thumb and studied the map, memorizing the layout of the city within walking distance of the hospital.

0

Blood splattered from Light's left arm as the bullet whooshed by, leaving behind a gash near his shoulder. Another followed, this time on his right arm. He clenched his teeth, cringing from the pain as another shot singed the skin of his neck.

"Yue..." Light glowered at his brother. "Stop. This is pointless."

"...Aniki, it doesn't matter." Yue whispered, shortening the distance between them until he stood inches from his twin. "Nothing matters anymore."

"...What are you talking about?" Light demanded, releasing the breath he held expecting Yue to shoot him somewhere fatal. Pressing his hand down on the wound near his left shoulder, Light glared at Yue.

"...I've written the kanji for our name in the notebook before my recent hospitalization. It will be today, but...it's iffy who's it's gonna be." The younger Yagami whispered, lowering the gun. The coldness in his eyes still present.

The older twin turned sheet-white, the tone of his brother's voice saying it wasn't a lie.

"Why...why would you do such a thing?! Yue!" Light snapped, his gut roiling with terror.

"...to make sure you couldn't kill me before I finished my plan." Yue replied without remorse, glaring at his brother. His caramel eyes focused on the blood dripping over Light's fingers. That shoulder wound was much deeper than the two other bullet wounds. "Though as I think about it, I can't be sure who I was thinking of when I wrote that name..."

Yue voice trailed off and he glanced at the ceiling. The rage from just seconds ago seemed to have dimmed since the first gunshot. Instead a cold void replaced it.

He barely noticed the smell of smoke rising from behind his brother.

"You..." Light growled and braced himself to knock Yue down, eyes locked on the gun. That ended as he too smelled the smoke. "Wha..."

"...there's a crate on fire." Yue said without inflection, the monotone of his voice irritating Light. "It must have had gas or something else flammable inside."

"Stop talking like that!" Light seethed, the sickening feeling in his gut intensifying. "Stop copying that bastard's mannerisms!"

The elder Yagami twin's shout echoed through the warehouse.

Yue flinched and then closed his eyes. The anger from earlier threatened to rise up again, and he bit his lip to keep it at bay.

Though it was useless.

He glared at his brother, eyes red-rimmed and burning. He raised the pistol and pressed his forehead against Light's. "I'm sorry I screwed up."

"Wha...?" Light blinked, his mind washed clear of thought. Even as Yue pointed the gun upward, and grabbed Light's hands. With both their hands on the gun, the older Yagami shivered - before he could fathom the reason, Yue whispered something and pulled the trigger.

0

Matsuda shivered in the early morning air, then yawned. The lack of sleep getting to him even though his head pounded, and his pulse was hammering out Morse-code. Something had been wrong about Yagami-san's abrupt departure, and even more foreboding was the fact that he couldn't get a hold of Light-san either.

"First Yue-san disappears from the hospital...and now Light-san and the chief seem to be missing as well." Just five minutes ago the young officer had phoned Sachiko Yagami, learning by that conversation that Souichiro and his eldest son had driven off somewhere.

It took all of Matsuda's brainpower to convince Sachiko not to worry, even as he began to panic himself.

"If Ryuzaki-san is right about Kira's identity, then..." He shivered again, his mumbled words barely audible above the morning breeze. It's been barely twenty minutes since he left the hotel, just enough time for him to return to the neighbourhood around the hospital. _'I'm no good at deductions or whatnot, but if I search within walking distance of the hospital, maybe I'll find something to lead to Yue.'_

Barely had he thought that when the scent of smoke filled his nostrils.

"Wha...?" He turned toward the direction of the smoke, a voice from one of the nearby apartments shouting for someone to call the police. It took less than a minute for him to run towards the person and flash his police badge. "What is it?"

"Thank god. Officer, I heard some gunshots go off by the old warehouse over that way, and then smelled smoke. My phone's kaput, so I couldn't call..." The middle-aged man's speed-babble was cut off by another gunshot screaming through the air.

Matsuda jumped at the sound, then immediately ran towards the warehouse, shouting back at the older man to go back to his apartment. As he ran, swallowing back his fear, he called police headquarters and reported the situation.

0

Smoke filled the warehouse quickly, billows and billows of smoke. One of the Yagami twins sat on his knees and stared at his hands; they trembled, covered in blood. He shuddered. Soon his eyes found the immobile form of his brother lying in a pool of blood.

"Hahh...ah..." He gasped, nearly hyperventilating as he stared at his brother's body. "HHhahh...ahh...hha...hahh"

With each gasp he drew in more smoke in his lungs. Light-headed and unable to breathe, he vomited - the scent of blood and smoke violating his nose.

He trembled, then passed out.

* * *

A/N: Chapter End.

Just a few more chapters to go. Which Yagami twin do you think is still alive? Please review.


	28. Tears

_A/N: Answering questions posted in reviews:_

_1) Yue saying he's unsure which one of them (Yue or Light) will be killed by the death note stems from the rule that you have to picture the face of the person you're using it on. Since Yue and Light have the same name, Yue has an equal chance of picturing his own face or that of his brother's. (Basically, he isn't sure if the face he was picturing the moment he finished writing the name was his own or Light's. Thus it is fifty-fifty.)_

_2) Which twin was shot is also fifty-fifty, since the two were close enough that their foreheads were touching, and Yue simply aimed the gun upward, beneath their heads. Even if he was aiming, the slightest flinch can affect who is shot – though it is likely the one not shot fatally will at least have some burn from the gun powder._

* * *

Futatsu no Tsuki

Chapter 27

L's pale face paled further as he listened to the officer on the other end of the phone mention a fire. That was more frightening than hearing that Yagami-san had gotten into a car accident.

'During B's original murders, his last one was going to be immolation...' The detective chewed on his thumb, nearly drawing blood.

"Aizawa-san, where is this fire...?" L paused, listening to Aizawa's gruff tone. "A...all right...what? Matsuda's the one who called it in? And...wha...I see..."

L succeeded in drawing blood as he bit deeper on his poor thumb, his stomach twisting. According to Aizawa, after Matsuda called in the fire, the young officer had rushed inside the warehouse in response to a gunshot.

L swallowed and stilled himself against any expression of emotion, though his stomach and head kept telling him to worry. It told him – Yue was in danger.

"Aizawa-san, please get in touch with Ya..." The detective paused at the increase of voices on the other end of the phone line. He blinked, unable to clearly decipher the words said. "What is it, Aizawa-san? What's..."

L paled ten more shades as he listened to the officer's response, his legs already carrying himself toward the hotel room door.

0

Matsuda nearly collapsed as he escaped the burning warehouse, carrying someone on his back. He managed to remain standing until the paramedics took the teen he carried from him, then he promptly fell to his knees. Half from smoke inhalation, and half from shock.

'Only one...only one of them...' Unable to speak aloud, he repeated the words over and over in his head. The image that greeted him in that warehouse was mind-numbing. He didn't need to be a genius to know that one of the Yagami twins was dead when he found them inside the warehouse.

The gunshot wound had left its victim unidentifiable.

"On...only..." Matsuda's voice was hoarse and barely there. His eyes watered. His surrounding were a blur as the paramedics made him breathe from an oxygen tank. Panicking, he started to wonder if he was right with his assumption. He hadn't checked on the other twin's pulse, what if he was mistaken? The obsessive thought banged around his brain even though the horrid and gory damage left by the gunshot left little room for doubt. And the coldness of that twin's skin when he'd touched his hand...

"Matsuda!" Aizawa rushed toward his fellow officer after being pushed away from the Yagami twin Matsuda had rescued by the paramedics. He still held his cell phone in his hand even though his call with L had ended. "What happened? Which...? Is there still...inside...?"

Aizawa glanced at the burning building, ready to rush inside himself if need be. An instinct cultivated by being a father, and intensified by the news he had before knowing about the fire. 'Chief Yagami is...I'll be damned if I let either of his sons die...'

Seeing the familiar officer, Matsuda calmed down – just barely avoiding a panic attack. Then he noticed the look in Aizawa's eyes. The look his own eyes had probably held when he ran into the burning warehouse earlier.

"Aizawa-san..." Matsuda said slowly, punctuated by deep breaths of oxygen. He shook his head, unable to keep his tears at bay. "It's...too...late."

"Ah! Then the other one is..." Aizawa turned to run inside, but was held back by Matsuda grabbing his coat. "Matsu..."

"...gunshot wound...to the head...I...was too late..."

Aizawa's eyes widened, his body frozen. Despite the slowness of Matsuda's speech, he understood what his kohai meant. He read it in Matsuda's eyes.

"Damn it." Aizawa clenched his fists, and glared at the warehouse. "Damn it!"

0

BAM!

L suddenly found himself on the floor as Aizawa punched him, the sound of the impact echoing through the hospital hallway.

"You...you...this is all your...you!"

"Aizawa-san!" Matsuda and Mogi grabbed hold of their fellow officer as he raged against the raven haired detective.

"If you had only agreed to search for Yue sooner...instead of obsessing about B..." Aizawa struggled against the grasps of his fellow officers, determined to beat the detective into a bloody pulp. He didn't care if he got fired. Didn't care if he got arrested for assault – Aizawa simply wanted to hurt L. "How the HELL are you going to explain to the Chief's wife that not only is her husband dead, but so is one of her sons?! And all because of your bullheaded way of investigating!"

L curled up against the wall, his knees pulled toward his chest. His hair and the downward angle prevented Aizawa from seeing his face.

"And you have the nerve to insist on a fingerprint check to determine which twin is alive?! You...you..."

"Aizawa, please. This is a hospital!" Matsuda pleaded with his sempai.

"No! Not if this bastard keeps trying to persist in his obsession that the Chief's son is Kira!" Aizawa growled, self-aware enough to not yell about the kira part while in the hospital hallway.

L huddled into a tighter ball.

"Aizawa-san!" Watari rebuked the officer as he entered the hall and took in the scene. He swiftly approached L. "Ryuzaki-san?"

"...Watari..." L lifted his head at the sound of the old man's voice. "The investigation...must..." He began in his usual monotone, yet that indifference was canceled out by the sight of his face. His face was pale except for the part where Aizawa's punch landed and his eyes, though slightly wider than normal, were expressionless. Yet his cheeks glistened beneath the hall's overhead lights, sleeked with tears that fell silently, and seemly without the detective's notice, from L's eyes.

Aizawa, Matsuda, and Mogi simply stared at the sight, unable to respond. And when L, perhaps from self-consciousness, hid his face again, Aizawa felt remorse burn inside him.

"Ryuzaki-sa..."

L suddenly stood up and excused himself, his head angled so his hair continued to hide his eyes.

0

The doctor sat next to the Yagami-twin's bedside, waiting for an answer to his question. He'd already finished a cursory check of the teen's health, checking heart rate and breathing, as well as the bandage covering one side of the teen's face. Whether it was from the fire or the close proximity of the pistol when it was shot, a large burn had reddened the twin's face; his forearms shared similar wounds where the flames had scorched them.

"What is your name?" The doctor repeated his question.

After a moment of hesitation and a glance away from the doctor's gaze, the teen answered.

"...Light Yagami."

The twin watched as the doctor made note of the name and answered numbly to further questions about his health: how he felt, what he remembered, etc. All the while, his heart pounded. And the cut on his busted lip stung, fiercely.

He didn't relax until the doctor left the room, the name lingering in the air.

His lip continued to sting, as though reprimanding him for his lie.

_'…..am I making the right decision?' _Yue shivered, already regretting his answer to the doctor's question. He closed his eyes, managing to avoid the tears that threatened to fall. '_What choice do I have? I messed up...the death note...affected aniki instead of me...'_

He opened his eyes and stared out the window.

0

_'The taste of Yue's lips lingered on his tongue; he mulled over that sensation until the eight-teen year old brought his mouth to the detective's chest. All of L's thoughts were washed clear at the feeling of Yue kissing and sucking at the pert nipples and ghost pale skin. A gasp escaped his lips at the touch of teeth grazing over one of the rosy nubs. "Yue..."'_

L slammed shut the restroom stall door and leaned over the toilet. He didn't bother to lock the stall, and instead squeezed the toilet bowl until his knuckles turned red from the effort. Nausea rosed from the pit of his stomach as he thought about Yue and then about the police reports.

Though the fire had scorched much of the deceased twin's body, the autopsy showed that death had been nearly instantaneous from the gunshot wound. That fatal wound had blasted through the dead twin's jaw, making identifying the body through medical records impossible, and the fire had obliterated all chance for fingerprint analysis of the body.

The only hope of identifying which twin was which was through fingerprinting the living twin. That, or waiting for that twin to regain consciousness. L didn't know if he could wait that long without knowing.

He also didn't know which twin he wanted to still be alive.

L retched into the toilet, then fell to his knees. Trembling, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Breathing steadily to calm himself, L flushed the toilet and then sat back against the stall door. He slowly gazed up at the ceiling, his eyes red-rimmed, though the rest of his face was devoid of expression.

"Yue...Yue..."

He hugged his knees, pulling them tightly against his chest. The fear he'd felt when Yue had been hit by the car after running into the street was nothing in comparison to what he now felt. One of the Yagami twins were dead.

"Which one is alive? Yue...? Li..." Intense nausea roiled through L's stomach at the mere thought of Light's name, his body and mind revolting over the idea of it being Kira who survived. He rushed back to the toilet and threw up once more.

"Ryuzaki?" Watari knocked on the stall door, his voice saturated with worry. "Are you all right?"

L stood up, his eyes shut, and flushed the toilet again.

"Ryu..."

"Watari?" L whispered, for the first time not holding back the pain in his voice. "...I don't care about the investigation anymore." He paused, breathing in as he shivered and leaned against the stall door. "I want Yue..."

"Ryuzaki..." Watari sighed, his wizened face pained by the sound of distress in L's voice.

The two stood in silence for a while.

"...I don't care if it's a lie. Please tell me he's alive."

"..." Watari breathed in deeply, reluctant to answer the detective. After another few seconds of silence, he spoke. "The surviving Yagami twin has regained consciousness and the doctor is with him..."

L's eyes widened and he opened the stall door; he stared into the old man's face. Unable to read the answer from Watari's face, he asked: "...which is he?"

"Ryuzaki..."

**End Chapter**

A/N: Heh heh. I think I'm being a bit cruel to L...so is Yue since he's given his brother's name as his own. Do you think Yue should get away with pretending to be Light? And what do you think is Yue's reason for taking his brother's place? (I'm sorry to the readers who are fans of Light since I killed him off, but when I started this fic I'd planned for the opposite to happen. However I couldn't figure out an adequate way for things to end up like that. Especially after I killed off Souichiro...it'll be too much if Sachiko has to lose both sons and her husband...I think I'm being most cruel to Sachiko and Sayu...)


End file.
